


Foresight

by FankayArt



Category: Jacksepticeye Power Hour (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Antisepticeye - Character - Freeform, Body Horror, Eyes, Gen, Henrik Schneeplestein - Freeform, Implied Crush, Jackieboy Man - Freeform, Jameson Jackson - Freeform, Marvin the Magnificent - Freeform, Mentions of Suicide, Trypophobia, anti is a prick, antisepticeye, chase brody - Freeform, inktober prompt, jbm - Freeform, little bit of trickshot, lots and lots of eyes!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26840461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FankayArt/pseuds/FankayArt
Summary: Concept : Every cut made creates a new eye. (Body horror.)Chase was captured by Anti, and put through hell before the others finally got him back. It wasn't until much later that the others began to realize... the small cuts in his arms aren't knife scars.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 26





	1. Scars

**Author's Note:**

> “His” eyes are the two normal eyes. “The” eyes are the ones on his arms and chest, but normally I will specify if it is one or the other anyways! That or it's easy to tell by the other ego’s reactions, lol. Body horror sure is fun to write!
> 
> Also: If you don't like it, don't read it! This was practice and saying negative things doesn't do anyone any good

“Ō͢p̣̀eṅ̩ y̩̑ó͙ur e̗͡yes~”

Chase slowly stirred awake and looked around the dark and barren concrete room, then back up at the single spotlight shining down on him. He squinted a bit before blinking a few times. Chase was covered in what seemed to be scars, all over his body. Some were more red around the edges than others, some larger, some were tiny. For some odd reason, the scars weren't healing and were raised in the skin in a peculiar way.  
Anti was standing before him, knife in hand and a smug sharp toothed grin on his face. Chase glanced down at the ground to avoid the demon’s green and black eyes as they stared at him and awaited a response. He slowly looked at the chains holding him there, the ones he had stopped trying to pull on a while ago. He was sat upon a chair, his arms chained down in front of him. They kept him there with a chain that went to the floor. He'd occasionally try to run when Anti unlocked them to reach more of his arm, but that never worked. All of his attempts had been futile, and now he was losing hope. It made him start to question how long he had really been down there. A week maybe? Weeks? It felt like a month, but it very well could have been a very long few days in this windowless concrete block. 

“Yo͖̎ú͙ kno̬̓w th̹̎at̥̚’s ǹ̬o͎͡t̤́ wh̜͂ā̰ẗ̨ I m̲̂ĕ͎anṯ͆.”

Chase shot him a glare, but his burst of confidence was short lived, “My eyes are open… w-what else do you want-“

Anti immediately kneeled down and grabbed Chase’s arm forcefully, tugging it towards him. Chase winced as he was pressing down on one of the scars on his forearm, and it seemed that all of his “scars” tensed at the action. The demon then tugged at the skin around the scar with his thumb. He pressed into the seam of a scar with his sharp nails, and grinned as it was forced open.  
Inside laid an eye, one that was desperately trying to close itself shut again. Anti only pressed harder against the eyelid, causing the eye to start watering. At that, Anti pulled his hand away and stood up, looking down upon Chase.

“Y̋ͅou m̲̓ig̒͟ht as ẘ̮e͚̐ll a̛͕c̜̕c͖͊è̫pt th̙̏em̨̾.̼́ T̞͒hi͎̕s...͍͊ is n̘͑ö͇thing ÿ̡́o̦̎ur̭̾ l̺̇iț̍tl͈̿e̝̒ mag̝͞i̙̾c͕͂i̗͡an can g̝͊eţ̃ r͍͆id of.͛͜” He said with a chuckle, “Th̪̋ey’̦͆re a̗̾l̡̃l ỷ̖ŏ͉ù̝rs͢͝~”

“N-no they’re not… th-they’ll find… something… something to get rid of them...”

“D̠͘ený̺ i͖͂t̤͛ al̹̑l̖͆ y̧͡o̺̓u want̢̊,̫̍ but̟̆ i̱̓t̲̾’s th͛͟e̮̍ trut̙͋ḥ̐.” He tapped the blade of his knife with his nails, “Y̽͟ȍ̮ṵ͊’͚̔re͛͟ s̨̔t̯̃ǘ͚ck like͓͌ t͍̀his, a͖͛n̳͒ḋ̰ th͈͌e m͕͠ȍ̝me̺͗ǹ͉t I m̖̓a̫̅k̳͡e an̘̏othe͖͡r̥͑ cu̲͆t̩̽, yŏ̞ü͖’ll̟̓ ha̘͡v̱͒e̝͘ a̜̚not̺̑ĥ̝er. H̜͑o̲̓w e̕͢x͔͊c͓̿it̙͘ḯ̧ng...͓͘ â͚nd don’t̺͑ g̢̐et me st͓́á̢ŗ͛t̲̂ed͕̔ o͎̚n̨͐ w̻̓h̛͟e̙͆n̺̚ th̬́è͚ o̫̾t̬̾h̼̑e̝͝rs s̮̓ee̫͞ you̱̿.” He let out another echoed giggle as he let his hands fall back down to his sides, “Ṭ́h̒͜ey̠͘ w̓ͅo̾͟u̬͋l̜̍d n͆ͅe̛̫vè͚r loǫ̔k̬̚ a̤̕t͖̍ you the͑ͅ sa̻̍m̞͐e..̹̂.̡̾ a̮̓n̯̈́d wi̝͊t̍ͅh ä̦ll͓̔ ẏ̦ou̳͌r ey̦͠e̜̅s̜̍, neith͎͝e̤͛r w̮̍ou̺͘ld yo͐͢u.̏͟” His laughter became louder as Chase stared at him with worry that he might carve more into his skin.  
It truly didn't seem like Chase could get out of here, and with Anti’s points, he was starting to think maybe he didn't want to. How would the others treat him if they found out..? It could have been weeks or only days since he's seen them, but he was already doubting how much he actually remembered of them.

“So Ĩ̹’̰͠l̤̅l à̞sḳ͡ onè͟ mo̲̓r̜̃ḛ̀ time̗̒.̯̉.͕̐. op͙̈e̖̽ņ̕ y̱̌our ĕ̮ẙ̦es b̥̓e̖͑f̗̊o̦͂rẹ̐ I car͑͢v̡͝e a̽ͅ n͎̔ě͎w o̩̾ne i͇̊nť͖ȏ̲ ÿ͎our̻̕ s̥͗câ̤lp.͕͋”

Chase hesitated, but after a moment, the tens of scars littered across his arms, neck, and face slowly opened up to show an array of different eyes. The largest eye being one across his neck, which was bright red in color. The rest being browns, blues, greys, greens, hazels, or even the one purple eye on the back of his hand. They all stared up at Anti, watching the smile on his face become wider at the sight of them all. Though almost as soon as they opened, they all immediately shut again. Chase squirmed uncomfortably at the feeling of them all moving at once, but he’d rather only have to deal with the numerous eyes he had now than any new ones.

“Ť̖e͕͐lḷ̐ mȅ͕ C͔͛h͉̋a̪͒se̲͊.̭͞.̖͒.̨͡ wọ̒uld y̼͐ǫ͞u rather be stuc̟͛k wi̖̊ṯ̀h͇̏ t̢̽h̫̓e̙̿ mǫ̏ns̞͘t̖̑e̺̅r,̬̏ or st̰̓u̦͛ck as̭̉ a m͍̾onsẗ̤er͟͝?” Anti twirled his knife around in his hand with a grin and a cackle. It was almost as if he were saying this was just too easy. He then walked around Chase, staring down at him.

“Ỵ̒ou kn͈̆ow͎͌ how̦̑ t͍͞ẖ͑e̦͘ ó͎ther̻͛s w̻̚o̹̊ul̮̕d͕́ rea̱̾ct... tḫ̒ey̮͠'d̗͡ ś̤ee̫̔ y͚̋ơ̭u a̪͋s̻͛ å̗ fre̬̓aḵ̃.”

“N-no they wouldn't…”

“T̹̿ḧ̨́ḛ̀y coul͎̒d̲̅n't st̀͜and thë͇́ sigh̲͞t͓͂ ô̪f y̜͡ou͓͋.”

“Stop…” Chase whimpered, closing his eyes. He just wanted a break… just one day, he wanted a break from this.

“Thé̤ẏ̹'̜̾d t̡̑hr̟͌ǫ̃w̭̚ ỵ̇o̱͐u o͈̅u̩͊t̩͂.̖͛.. or e͚͠v̮̋ę̇n b͈͒ette͖͘r̜͝,͇̅ k̫͋ee̠̕p̼̋ y͍͗ou aro̖͌u͖̓nd s̜̍o ẗ̝́hey c͍͝ą̑n t̰͗r̫̀ý͟ t̹̑ö̹́ get r̜͛id͈̊ of̣̆ th̺͛em. T̀͢r̠͌y̋͜ ṱ̈́ǫ͋ heal y̞͞ou up̫͐ beca̧͝ṵ̾s̮̅e of͚͆ hő̭w fr̝͞eak̗̈́i̙̅s̜̈́h̬̾ y͎̿ò͔u̳͗ l͕͑oó̖k̨͑.͕͆ Then wh̫͌e̮̓n t̑͟h̞́èͅy f̧̏í̳nd o̝̒u̼͡t tḣ͎ę̑y ca̛̳n͔̄'̪̕t ge͈̾t rȋ͕d̺͞ ö̼f̯͊ t͂͜h͍̾ȩ͋m?͟͠ W̽͟ell...̩͊ ṱ́hey wo̤̾uḽ̐d͚͌n't͜͡ thr̡͡o̱̔w yŏͅu ou̺̾t̺̎ ẗ̡́h̺͑ḙ̍n̦̅,̱̓ no͉͛..̹̔. th̜̽ey̗̒'d j̟͗u̲͛s̝̀t s̹̃ta͖̎r̠͞e at͕͑ yoû̱. L͎͒ook at̳̎ ẙ͔o͓͠ú̠ w̭̃it̨̍ḧ̩ p̞͝í̳ty… â̺nd d͖͋ḯ̬sgu͓̍st.”

“They wouldn’t… t-they wouldn’t…” Chase said quietly, looking down at the ground again, “You're wrong… they'd never…”  
He wished he could remember the others enough to say for sure… he tried to remember how optimistic they were. How they acted, but all he kept thinking about was his own views and opinions. He hated his new, freakish appearance. The growing array of eyes scattered all over his arms and chest. He hated how it made him feel when they moved, he hated how they looked when they were all open. If the others didn't throw him out if they ever found him, he'd throw himself out to spare them the horrific sight.

“D̳͌o̖͊n̟̎’t b͇̀e̯͐ á̜ h̙͂yp̳̑ocŕ̙i͖̓te͔͑, Ch͕͊ȧ̹se. You̻̓ knǒ̫w y̞̾ọ̋u l̠̎o̲̚ó̩k͕̑ lik͖̎e â̢ f̖̉ŕ̹e͇͞aḱ͇ sh̛̳ō̰w̬̆.̘͐” Anti let out a menacing chuckle.

“It's all your fault… this is all your fault…” Chase said quietly, trying to keep himself from crying.

“Wel͌͜l n̨̒ow,̖̓ if t͒͢heý͙ d̜̀on̯̓'̜̅t̢͒ acce̟͡p̠̔t ý̨oū̟ l̀͢ik͉̿e͇͑ t̨͝hi̥̇s͘͟ t̼̒hen̒͢ ț̅hey ṉ̈́e͉̎ve̦͐r ȁ͜cceṗ̢t̢̄ed you̦͆ i̖̐ņ͊ the̘͊ f̞̆irsṯ͘ pl̻̒ã̫ce.̏ͅ” Anti said with a hum, turning away and walking back out.

“İ͓’͓̕ll̰͗ b͖͞e ba͕̋ck̹̊ soo̱̾n.” He said in a more serious tone before slamming the door shut behind him, causing Chase to flinch as the sound echoed through the room.

Chase closed his eyes as he was left alone. He sat in silence and after a moment, tears began falling down his face. He always hated crying before, but now it felt far worse as the many, many closed eyes started to weep with him. The disturbing feeling of tears coming from his arms and chest only made him want to cry more.


	2. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase expects another rage-filled visit from Anti, just to be surprised by someone else who broke in.

Through the days he had been trapped there, Anti made him repeat those words. That he was worthless. A deadbeat. And now, that he was a freak. That he looked like a monster. If he didn't, he'd have a new few eyes to join his already growing collection. It was only recently that Anti had moved to cutting across more of his chest and back. The demon’s newest creation being an eye directly on the back of Chase’s neck, one to which he made a joke about Chase having eyes on the back of his head. He was close to cutting where Chase’s hair was, but Chase pleaded that he didn't.  
The fact that the demon listened had him partially believing that maybe he cared in the tiniest, strangest form. That, or he didn't see a reason to, or maybe he didn’t want to risk Chase whining even more on a constant basis… it was likely the one of the last two reasons over the first.  
If the demon had a heart at all, he wouldn't have put Chase through this in the first place.

Chase had been asleep on the cold ground for a while now. Anti had pulled his chair away since he kept trying to kick it in Anti's direction in any way to stop him. It never worked, but Chase still tried. He just wanted this all to stop... Though now that meant he was stuck sleeping on the floor rather than the chair. He was in the middle of having a nightmare again when he heard... 

**BANG.**

The noise startled him awake as he looked around hurriedly to know where the noise came from, or if it was just his imagination. He checked his scars… no, his eyes, just to make sure he didn’t have any more. Anti always was one to be impatient, and he wouldn't be surprised if he snuck in some new cuts while he was asleep.  
Though it didn’t look like it, or feel like it, so he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Another loud bang sounded from outside the door, and Chase flinched in response. He gave a worried look at the door and did the only thing he could do. He tried to pull himself as far away from the door as he could, shuffling back and trying to tug on the chains as if it would help. He managed to barely reach the wall and gently rested his back against it as he kept his fearful eyes upon the door.

_Was Anti mad? Did something happen..?_

It was only moments later when a loud slam echoed as the door was flung open. Chase instinctively flinched, closing his eyes and turning his head away. He prepared to be hit. He prepared for something to stab him just for a new eye to appear. He prepared for yelling, ranting, screaming... but nothing happened. He held his breath and waited for something, anything. It wasn't until he heard a much more gentle voice when he let out a quiet breath of relief.

“... Chase..? Oh my god, Chase!”

Chase peeked up just barely in time to see Jackie nearly tackle him in a hug. He flinched as Jackie strengthened his hug against some scars on his back, but he smiled at the feeling. He felt relief… that they finally found him. He didn't care about anything else at that moment, he was just happy that he was able to at least see them one more time.  
The hero hurried to pull away as he felt Chase tense up, “Oh I'm so sorry… where are you hurt?! How bad did he…” Jackie stopped himself as he saw all the “scars” that littered one of his arms. His eyes drifted to the other, and he stared with wide eyes. There had to at least be twenty per arm, and even more on his neck. He'd have been a little less worried if they didn't seem so... swollen, and if they looked like they were even trying to heal up.

“Chase… It's okay. It's okay, I got you now. You're going to be safe.” Jackie assured, being sure to gently rub Chase’s back a bit before grabbing onto the chain that was connected to the cuffs around Chase’s wrists. The hero stood back up, pressed his foot down on the chain, holding it there before pulling at the other end. Eventually one of the links gave in and snapped at the superhero’s strength. Chase still had his hands bound, but at least he wasn't stuck there anymore, and that's what mattered more at the moment. He could get the cuffs off later.  
Jackie looked back down at Chase as he tossed the chain down, “We have to get out of here fast… can you run?”  
Chase paused for a moment at the question, still trying to process everything. Jackie took the silence as a no, and quickly picked Chase up bridal style. He felt Chase wince at the touch, but he still had to get him out of there quickly. What mattered most right now was leaving.

Jackie knew he had to get Chase home before Anti found out his little experiment was gone.

—

It was only halfway through the trip back when Chase finally realized the weight of the situation.

He loved the idea of going home… he wouldn't have to worry about Anti, or waking up just to be teased and prodded at again. He would finally get to see the others again. Marvin, Henrik, JJ… but what about him? Would they be happy to see him? And especially after… all his scars… the eyes... 

_Oh god… I'm a freak… I'm some kind of monster… they'll hate me..._

Chase’s eyes began watering at the thoughts that forced their way into his head. All the imagined scenarios of how scared and disgusted they'd be. He felt a surge of disgust as the other eyes began watering too, getting soaked up by his shirt. His breathing became shaky and quick as he trembled in Jackie’s arms. He hated the feeling of the eyes moving in his chest and arms as Jackie ran. His hatred for them only grew the more he thought about it, and the more he tried to force those thoughts out, the worse they became. Even closed, he could still feel the eyes, they were still there... he could feel them cry. He could feel when someone brushed up against them, as if they were his own. And according to Anti... they were, and always will be.  
Chase's mind raced and he felt like he was going to be sick.

“Hey… it's okay…” Chase opened his eyes again as he noticed the hero had stopped his running. Jackie was gently rubbing Chase’s arm and trying to help calm him down before trying to continue any further. He had noticed Chase's trembling and crying, and tried his best to help where he could, even if that meant he had to stop for a moment before they got home. Chase was grateful for the comfort, and soon his breathing returned to a normal pace as he remembered. He was with the people that cared about him now. He was with his family. Chase leaned his head against Jackie’s chest and attempted to curl up further in his arms.

_At least they don't know… they don't have to know._

Jackie noticed him calm down and began running again, keeping Chase close.

_… Anti said there was no cure, so what's the point of telling them..?_

He slowly started to come to a stop as he neared a building, but Chase was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention to his surroundings.

_They’d just… stare at me._

Jackie stopped entirely at the door, and was ready to knock when the door swung open. Chase glanced up to see Henrik, staring at them in shock. It was more out of concern and surprise that Jackie had found Chase, but Chase gave him a scared look in return. After everything he was thinking about, he couldn't help but fear the worst.

Were one of the eyes on his arm open? Did the eye on his forehead open on accident again? Could the doctor tell they weren't scars?

Chase became paranoid as the doctor let Jackie rush him inside. It only made him more worried when Jackie set him down on the couch and Henrik rushed over to take a look at him. While Henrik looked down at the scars, Jackie walked back over with a pick and picked the lock on the cuffs Chase’s arms had been bound by. Even if Jackie could, he didn't want to risk breaking them and hurt Chase in the process.  
With Chase’s arms free, Henrik immediately tried to take ahold of one of his arms. He managed to look at it for only a second before Chase instinctively pulled away.  
Chase's mind flashed to Anti… and he stared at Henrik with fear. His mind went to what happened. His mind went to what could happen if they found out. He couldn't hear the doctor’s questions, he couldn't hear Jackie’s concern. His heart was pounding in his ears as he kept worrying. It wasn't long before he started to tear up again.

_I can't let them find out… I can't…_

Chase quickly backed away and curled up into the corner of the couch, tucking his knees to his chest. He closed his eyes as he held his hands over his ears.

_Maybe this is all a nightmare… maybe all these days were just some… twisted, fucked up nightmare…_

Chase stayed there and flinched as he felt someone touch him. One of the others were probably trying to comfort him, or maybe Henrik was trying to look at his scars to help him again, but the doctor couldn't help him… he knew that.  
Chase tucked his arms in and kept his face hidden. For a while, no one touched him again. He was left alone.

—

Chase soon calmed down enough after around half an hour, and slowly peeked out from behind his knees. His hands began slowly dropping back down to his sides. He was still visibly trembling, but his breathing was returning to normal.  
Chase tried to steady his breathing further before rubbing away any tears left in his eyes, if there were any. He slowly glanced back up to see if anyone’s there, and wouldn't be surprised if they just left him at this point.  
He felt like he deserved it if they did.

Henrik wasn't there anymore, but Jackie was. He was sitting on the other edge of the couch, and glanced up as he saw Chase calm down. The hero gently moved his hand next to Chase’s and took it when Chase didn't move away or flinch, “Hey… you alright? Do you feel better..?”

Chase hesitated before nodding to his question, even if it was a lie.

Jackie sighed and gently rubbed Chase’s shoulder, “You go take a shower… then get some sleep, okay? It's really late.”  
Chase looked around a bit for a clock when his eyes landed on the digital clock of the microwave in the kitchen. 2:47am.

Chase let out a quiet sigh, looking around a bit. It had been a while since he had to worry about a schedule before… Anti never seemed to care what time it was to attack him. Actually, he had no windows in his little… room, so he never knew the time. Maybe Anti was always coming in at certain times, but Chase just didn't know. He couldn't count how many days he had been there, or ever tell what the time was. It disoriented him. That was probably the purpose, now that Chase thought about it.  
Chase was planning on stalling but it seemed he didn't have to. Jackie had stood up and began walking towards his room with a yawn, “Night Chase… get some good sleep, okay..? Everyone is gonna be excited to see you tomorrow.” He turned back to him and gave him a sleepy smile.  
Chase gave a small smile in return as Jackie turned away. The hero was not expecting a response as he neared his room, but then heard a quiet.

“... Goodnight Jackie…”

Jackie smiled before saying, “Night Chase.”  
He turned and walked into his room, leaving Chase sitting alone on the couch.

Chase sighed and rested his head against his knees, only to wince and pull away as he did so.

_Right, the eye on his forehead._

He glanced down at the lines all over his arm.

_So many eyes…_

He looked at his other arm, just to see the same thing.

_So… so many…_

Chase quickly snapped himself out of his trance and stood up. He did need a shower… and he was going to take one. It would help him relax for the first time, or maybe if this was a really really convincing dream, he'd wake up. He was still hoping that one day he would discover this was a nightmare, and none of this had happened. That he'd wake up and all he would have to deal with is trying to see the kids this weekend, or just have to deal with his channel, or his job… it sucked, but it's nothing compared to the horrific curse he was forced to deal with now.

Chase slowly pulled himself off the couch before he walked up the stairs. His eyes scanned the house he nearly forgot... nearly everything about. He wasn't sure how since they had all lived there for years… but sitting alone in a blank room, occasionally being tortured by a demon, and wishing he never woke up to see the next day, put a heavy strain on his mental health to say the very least.  
Chase walked down the hall and eyed the other rooms there. JJ, and Marvin’s. Then he opened the door to his own room.

He expected it to be just how he left it, but it seemed like someone took the time to actually clean it. No more papers littering the desk, no clothes on the ground, no empty shot glasses…  
Chase’s mind immediately went to whiskey as he looked through his room. He could really use a drink… but for now, he grabbed some clothes from the drawer to put on when he got out of the shower. He purposely picked out a long sleeved hoodie, then grabbed some sweatpants before heading to the bathroom.

The shower was relaxing… until the soap got into one of his eyes. That would have been fine if it was only one, but a few of them shared the same fate. And it stung bad… there was no differentiation between how bad the smaller eyes and bigger eyes hurt, it was all the same and as unpleasant as if he had gotten it in his own eyes. He attempted to wash the soap out of them, and it ended up becoming a hassle... and he just had to deal with them.  
After he had gotten out and dried off, he told himself he would never take a shower unless it really became necessary. Not even bringing up a bath. Though it made him wonder.  
… how was he going to live with this..? How was he supposed to keep this secret?

_… I'll keep it from them as long as I can, and when they find out, I’ll just… leave._

His heart hurt at the thought, but they would probably kick him out anyways. Even if they didn't, he'd rather leave the egos than have to deal with them as they watched him wearily… watched them stare at him daily like he was some kind of freak.

_It's not like they'd be wrong._

He slipped his hoodie on before leaning forward and pressing his hands onto the edge of the sink. He glanced up at his reflection for a moment before looking down with a shaky sigh.

_Fuck… what am I supposed to do..?_

A few tears escaped but he quickly wiped them away. His body shivered as he felt another cold tear roll down his back. He tugged at his hoodie to wipe it away before walking out the bathroom door.  
He headed back to his room, gently closing the door behind him to avoid making noise. Despite the hardships he faced when it came to soap getting in his eyes, the warm shower did feel really nice. He felt clean for once in a long time. Chase weakly pulled at the covers on his bed before flopping down onto the bed face first. He winced as he landed on a few of the eyes on his chest, but at least it wasn’t nearly as bad as the concrete floor.  
This felt so much better than that concrete floor… so much _softer… and warmer… and…_  
within minutes, Chase had passed out in bed.

—


	3. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase wakes up to a nice breakfast, and a very stubborn doctor.

—

Chase woke up to the smell of breakfast being made downstairs. His eyes slowly opened, followed by the eyes on his cheeks and head. Even some on his arm opened. Even when he was exhausted from the night before, he felt excited to eat. He was a bit too sleepy to remember which eyes were normal as he was waking up, and stared up at his clock. 8:30am. After a moment to process, he quickly closed the eyes not meant to be open, leaving only the normal two. The only two eyes he was supposed to have.

Chase quickly shook his head at the negative thoughts that were starting to fester before sitting up. Now wasn't the time for that. He was home, and with all the other egos again. He finally can see them all again… he could relax with them. Have fun.  
Chase straightened out the hoodie and sweatpants he had slept with before slipping out his bedroom door with a smile. His thoughts were on seeing the others before it drifted to what happened last night. He really needed to thank Jackie… and apologize to Henrik.

As he walked downstairs, the smell of bacon and waffles made him smile even more, and made his stomach growl. He'd probably start to cry again, a few tears of joy, if he didn't already cry out all he could the night before.  
Henrik was in the kitchen, filling up his mug with coffee, while Marvin was cleaning up a bit after frying up bacon. He quickly grabbed a piece and began eating it as he took the pan to the sink.  
Jackie was at the table with Jameson, and Jameson was listening attentively to a story the hero was telling. Jackie quickly stopped the moment Marvin mentioned the bacon was ready and hurried over to grab some, leaving JJ at the table.

“Don't eat it all! You have to save some for the others.”

“But Marvvv…”

“Don't “but Marv” me! You are sharing.” Jackie pouted and glanced at the four pieces left before taking two and rushing off.

“You aren't even eating a-? Oh nevermind. More fucking waffles for me I guess.” Marvin shrugged and looked back down at the bacon. He sighed and looked away from it to avoid grabbing another piece. Save it for Chase.  
Henrik chuckled as he watched Jackie fling himself back into his chair. The hero nearly fell out of it, but barely managed to tilt back in time to catch himself, which made Jameson start to laugh too. Though because his laugh was silent, he just smiled and his chest spasmed a bit. Jackie laughed along with him with a grin. Even after his near fall, he leaned back in his chair and snapped off a piece of bacon to start chewing on it, “Okay, so where was I? Oh yeah! I got a tip from some guy about flickering lights-”

“Good morning Chase.”

Chase flinched at the mention of his name, and looked over at Henrik who was taking a sip of his coffee. He had only been standing and watching from the stairs and was now feeling awkward for doing so. Did Henrik notice his staring?  
Slowly he made his way down with a shy smile and wave, “H-hey…”

Jackie stopped talking and stared, as did the others. Though the stare from the hero turned into one with a smile.

“It's good to have you back. Are you feeling better?” Jackie asked, leaning against the table.

“Yeah… much better. H-how did you find me..?”

“Oh, I was just telling JJ the story! I'll start over!”

JJ gave a nervous smile at the offer. It could have been because Jackie tended to ramble, or that it was just a really long story… but it seemed like JJ’s patience was already being tested. Henrik glanced at them all before taking his coffee with him to his room down the hall.

Chase let out a quiet laugh, “I'd love to hear it buddy… maybe you can tell me after you tell JJ.”

“Sure!” Jackie grinned, then looked over at JJ, “Anyways, so he told me about this haunted place or some shit...”

Chase smiled, staring at them happily for a moment before turning to walk in the kitchen. He was stopped by Marvin being in the doorway, and a big hug followed. A surprisingly gentle one that didn't hurt the eyes on his back. Henrik likely warned him about his “scars”.  
Chase hesitated before gently hugging back. They remained that way comfortably for a minute before Marvin pulled away. He sighed quietly before looking up at him with a smile, “Don't scare me like that. I was worried sick… are you okay?”

“I'm fine, scaredy cat.” Chase teased in which Marvin playfully, but gently, smacked him on the arm. Chase still winced a bit at it, but smiled and tried not to show that it hurt.

“Shut up. Saved you some bacon by the way.” Marvin said before turning away, starting to make himself some waffles.

“Thanks… I know Jackie would have eaten it all in a heartbeat if it wasn't for you.” Chase said with a grin, grabbing a piece. He bit down on it and flinched as he did so. Thankfully Marvin wasn't looking, as he nearly spat it out. Instead of spitting it out, he swallowed it and the rest of it as quickly as he could. He had forgotten about the scar on his tongue… and it felt the worst of them all.  
Chase seemed to lose his appetite fairly quickly after that… he didn't even want to think about what would happen if syrup or something else somehow got into the _eye on his tongue._

Marvin glanced back over at Chase and noticed him staring down at the food with a frustrated look, “... are you going to eat anything else? Do you want some waffles?”

“Hm? Oh, no… I'm not that hungry…” Chase lied, resting his hands back into his pockets as he stared back down at the food. He really wanted to eat more… but he'd rather wait for something else than get salt or something in that eye.

Marvin was going to question it, however didn't want to bring up anything revolving around Anti just yet, “... oh, okay. Well, Henrik wanted to see you.”

“R-really? Why..?” Chase asked quicker than he'd like to admit. Marvin raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior.

“Um… for your scars.”

“... Right! I'll… go see him. Now. Thanks for breakfast Marvin.” Chase said quickly before walking past him and down the hall.

Marvin watched him walk off with a confused glance and sigh. He looked back down at the last piece of bacon and ate it happily.

—

Chase slowly closed the door behind him as he walked into Henrik’s room. It was bland for a bedroom, but Henrik liked it this way. It suited the office he was going for, with the white and blue theme. Though it was bland, it was still fairly messy with papers all over his large desk. His monitors were on and he was clicking away when he heard his door open. His mouse moved over and he began clicking some tabs closed, and hid others.  
Chase was eyeing the bag that was rested against the desk on the ground nervously. Immediately he glanced back up at he saw Henrik turn around. Chase wasn't afraid of Henrik, he was just nervous the doctor would try to “heal his wounds”. When they aren't wounds, and don't need to be healed. His mind went to the first thing the doctor did when he needed to disinfect a wound, which was apply antiseptic.  
Antiseptic in his eye? No thanks. Antiseptic-eye? Even worse, but a funny coincidence. Maybe that's how his eyes became so demonic looking, he just poured a bottle of antiseptic in them. Maybe the thought would have made him laugh before Chase was kidnapped… and before his arms were littered with eyes.

Henrik heard him walk forward and spun around in his chair to face him, “Vill you let me look at your wounds now?” He asked before Chase could say anything, crossing his arms. As much as he tried to remain serious and calm, it was clear he had been concerned for Chase, and wanted to work on his injuries as soon as he could.

A part of Chase wanted to say no to him, but he didn't want to be rude… which was stupid, but he just didn't have the heart to argue. So instead he walked over to him. He stood next to Henrik and shakily held out his arm. Henrik noticed the shakiness, giving him a concerned glance back up at him before looking down at his arm. He gently placed his hands on Chase’s arm, making sure to avoid the “scars” as he did so.

“Jackie tells me zhey still hurt.”

“I… well… only when you push on them…”

Henrik hummed at that, then slid his fingers over one of the scars, “Ve may need to stitch zhe larger ones in case zhey come open…”

Chase shivered at the thought. There was no way in _hell_ he'd let that happen. No matter how much he hated the eyes, he couldn't suffer through the pain of sewing one of them shut. Exactly like he would never ever try and squish, cut, or in any way hurt one of them. No, no way he would even try, no matter how much he hated them. He wouldn't be able to get the feeling of it out of his head if he did.

As Chase had winced at the mention of stitches, the “scar” tensed slightly. Henrik gave it a confused look before gently tugging at the skin around them with his thumb. Chase flinched and pulled away immediately as soon as he felt Henrik try and pull at it, “I-I'm gonna go to my room… the scars are fine. They aren't that bad.”

“Chase, zhey are swollen! Ve need to treat zhem!” The doctor argued, “Come here and sit down.”

“Henrik… they aren't bleeding… it's fine.”

“Chase, it's not fine. Zhey might be infected, and I'm not letting you run around with open wounds. Let me help you, let me fix-”

“It's nothing _**you** _ can fix!” Chase snapped. They both stood in silence for a moment before Chase swiftly left the room, slamming the door behind him. The doctor wanted to say something, but instead turned away and looked back down at his desk with a hurt expression.  
Chase avoided the other’s stares and rushed upstairs and into his room as quickly as he could. It was true…. but damn it, he shouldn't have snapped at Henrik like that. He was supposed to apologize, not make it worse. He was mainly just scared, and didn't want the others to find out so soon. It hadn't even been a day yet.

“It will all die down… it will be fine…” Chase mumbled to himself as he walked down the hall and into his room. 

_They don't have to know… I can still make this work for a little while._

He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his head. Who was he kidding, he'd probably wouldn't make it five minutes each day when Henrik would be persistent in healing his “scars”. Maybe he could say they were magic? Then Marvin wouldn't leave him alone… but at least he wouldn't have to deal with the looming threat of someone wanting to stitch up his eye.  
Already, just hours into the first day, and trying to hide this was a nightmare. Chase looked up at the door warily before holding his hand up and looking at his palm. The two eyes nestled there opened and stared up at him, letting Chase see himself. It was still an odd and freaky sight to begin with. Not to mention when all of his eyes were open at once. It hurt his head when all of the eyes were open, since he could see through all of them at once… but sometimes they were useful.  
Mostly just a pain though… and really, _really_ creepy.  
The eyes on his palm closed and Chase sighed. He rested his arm back against his side before he curled up in his bed, resting his head on his pillow.

_Maybe it's not a curse… aren't curses bound to someone or something? Maybe it was just Anti that gave me these eyes… then… what's that supposed to be?_

Some form of dark magic perhaps… but even so, Marvin was his best chance at getting rid of them. Chase decided to take another nap.  
He wanted to take in as much comfort as he could within the possible week, maybe only days he was staying here.

He was so convinced that he was a monster, the thought of them accepting him didn't bother to cross his mind.

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working on this a lot more so hopefully I'll be able to make the chapters better and longer while I do :D


	4. Starve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase grabs a snack from the kitchen, and offers to help Marvin with dinner.

—

When Chase woke up from his nap, he glanced around his room. He could still see bright sunlight from his window… so it wasn't evening or nighttime just yet. He slowly grabbed his phone from the nightstand and checked the time.

3:06pm

He let out a frustrated groan, resting his head back down on the bed. Too late for lunch, too early for dinner. Chase heard his stomach growl, but the eye on Chase’s tongue was forcing him to ignore every one of its demands.

_I never should have spoke up that day… I should learn to keep his stupid mouth shut… then maybe I could eat whatever I fucking wanted without wanting to throw it up._

Chase didn't last three minutes with his stomach growling at him before he forced himself up and walked back out towards the kitchen. Maybe he'd just get a little snack.

He looked out from up on the stairs, making sure to keep quiet. He noticed Jackie and JJ were the only ones not in their room. Jackie was passed out on the couch while JJ was sewing something. It was likely just Jackie’s suit, but after what Henrik said, the thought of needles and any form of stitching made him shiver.  
It didn't help as the magician snuck up behind him, “Hey Chase~!”

Chase jumped at the sound, and as he did, all of his eyes suddenly opened. The sudden sight from all of them gave him a headache, but he quickly forced all the eyes on his face and hands to close before anyone saw. Chase mentally thanked himself that he put on a long sleeved shirt before closing the eyes on his arms.  
Chase slowly opened his eyes, then turned to look at Marvin, “Don't do that!”

“Aw, what's wrong scaredy cat?” He teased before walking down the stairs, “Consider it payback for earlier.”

“But you _are_ a scaredy cat.”

“Am not!”

Chase smiled and let out a sigh of relief that Marvin didn't notice. That was close…  
Chase’s eyes wandered and landed on JJ who was sitting on the couch. He was giving Chase a funny look, but once Chase noticed his staring, he looked away and blinked a few times. He then shook his head and returned to sewing. Chase gave a worried glance before forcing himself to look away.

_JJ saw… fuck, he saw. Maybe he thinks he was only seeing things… please don't let me get found out this soon…_

Chase was snapped out of his thoughts by Marvin, “Hey Chase, want to help me make dinner tonight?”

“Cooking twice in a row? It must be our lucky day.” Chase teased as he walked down the rest of the stairs, “Of course I'll help.”

“Well I want to celebrate you coming home, you know?” Marvin said, looking through the pantry, “Besides, you didn't eat much for breakfast. I'm sure you're hungry, and I don't think… he… gave you much of anything.”

“O-oh, yeah… no, he… didn't.” Chase said quietly, still not sure of how they should talk about it. He was thankful no one directly asked what happened yet, “... I was gonna come down here for a snack… probably get an apple or something.”

“The day you finally stop eating junk food and rather eat something healthy for once has come? Is the world ending?”

“Hey!” Chase chuckled as he snatched an apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen counter, “I can eat healthy!”

“Since when did you choose any fruit over Doritos?” Marvin teased playfully with a grin.

_Since I got a fucking eye on my tongue._

“Since I… thought that it would be good to try something healthier for once, but those Doritos sound _very_ tempting now.”

Marvin laughed, “I'm teasing! Besides, Henrik would be very happy to hear you are actually trying to eat healthier.”

Chase gave him a small smile before looking back down at the counter, “Yeah…” He then took a bite out of the apple and began chewing on it. He felt it occasionally rub over the eye there, but it was much better than the crumbly bacon. Any kind of syrup… even soda would be something he'd hate to have pushed up against it, let alone get in his eye. Chase didn't bother to remember Apples are acidic, and that's not good on your eye either… but he was trying.  
At least water didn't hurt… but cold water was clearly not going to happen.  
Even then after swallowing a bite, he just couldn't bring himself to take another. He had tried his best to chew it in the corner of his mouth, but even that didn't work as pieces of apple kept breaking off and landing on his tongue anyways. The feeling of it rubbing against his eye was almost enough to make him throw it up. It felt _wrong..._  
But he still had to eat.

Marvin noticed him staring at the apple rather than eating it, “... already having second thoughts?” He said as a playful tease, but he could sense something was wrong. It was the same stare he gave his food during breakfast.

Chase looked up and gave Marvin a small smile, “Nope. Just... thinking.” He said, then hesitated before forcing himself to take another bite. Marvin normally would push it, but he could sense Chase wasn't in the mood.

—

Chase seemed fine as he worked with Marvin on dinner. He was chopping up peppers to add to the dish, and his stomach growled the more he thought about it. Maybe he could at least try one bite… just one quick bite.  
Marvin still kept a wary eye on Chase as they worked. There just had to be something Chase wasn't telling them… what did Anti do to him? Why wasn't he eating? He could hear the man's stomach growl from across the room, and if Chase really was that desperate he would have raided the pantry.  
But he didn't, and it was making Marvin worried.  
He couldn't ask Chase what exactly Anti did to him, at least not directly… or maybe he could. Chase was his friend… he'd tell him, right? Maybe if he worded it in a less direct way. Not too forward, but not in any way Chase could give an excuse… nothing very good came to mind, but he had to say something. The awkward silence in the kitchen wasn't helping, and it just made Chase's stomach growling even more noticeable.

Chase had finished cutting up some of the peppers, and started working on another. He was still timid around knives… but he pushed through it. It's not in Anti’s hands, it's in his. He controls the knife. It's going to be fine-  
“Hey Chase… is there something you're not telling us?”  
The knife slipped at the sudden question and Chase cut down on his finger. Thankfully the cut wasn't deep, “... I-I have no idea what you mean…” He said, trying to hide the hiss that escaped from his mouth as he set the knife down. Chase tilted his finger towards him to get a better look at it, but his eyes widened as he noticed some white forming inside the cut.

“... Chase, you-” Marvin noticed the blood dripping down on the cutting board and rushed over in attempt to help, “Did you cut yourself? Shit, I’m sorry... here, let me-"

Marvin wasn't even given a moment to process as Chase rushed down the hall, “I'll go wash it off!” He said, hurrying to the bathroom.  
Marvin tilted his head and eyed the sink in the kitchen before looking back at the hall, crossing his arms. 

Chase shut the door behind him and quickly turned on the tap. He kept washing the blood off in the sink and pushed down on it, as if that would somehow heal it, or stop what was coming.

_Please don't… please…_

Chase’s pleas were unheard as the cut seemed to swell up on his index finger. He eyed it warily, his hands trembling as the cut got bigger.  
Slowly the seam of the cut opened up to show a white eye. After it blinked sleepily a few times, a grayish blue iris rolled forward, looking back up at him. Chase let out a soft whimper as he saw the newly formed eye in his skin.

_No no…nononono… it's only when Anti… it had to only be when Anti…_

The eye blinked on command, and it stared back up at him. He could see himself on the verge of tears and quickly forced the new eye on his hand shut. It would remain closed… along with all the rest of them.  
They would never open.  
Never.

Chase quickly looked up as he heard a knock on the door.

“Chase, are you okay? I'm sorry if I startled you…”

It was Marvin. Chase tried his best to muster up all the courage he could, “Yeah… yeah I'm fine… don't worry about me…”  
Chase looked back down at the new “scar”. At least this was how he found out… and not elsewhere when he didn't have a chance to hide it. If he accidentally cut himself when he was outside and one of them saw before he could close it… watching the eyes form is arguably more disturbing than the final product.  
Even as Chase tried to find the best in the situation, he was just hit with another wave of fear, worry, and disgust. No matter what, he still had another eye to deal with. He still had eyes all over his body, and he lived with four other people that could find out at any moment. Any cut he got on his skin would just lead to another eye. He still looked like a _freak._

Chase began tearing up. He wished he could cut out that newly formed eye. He wished he could do it, but he knew it would hurt, and he would never be able to get the feeling out of his mind. Not just that, he'd just be left with a hole in his finger, and that's a lot more disturbing and harder to explain than something that vaguely looked like a scar.  
But he wanted to… he wanted to so bad.  
He wanted to hit something, but that would hurt. He wanted to throw something, but that wasn't any better. So he was stuck with his thoughts… because if he tried to drink whiskey, he'd have to deal with it possibly getting in the eye on his tongue. If he somehow managed to drink enough, he'd get drunk and probably blow his cover…

Maybe Anti wanted this. He wanted to let the others find him… just so they could see what he did. So they could see his work. His new little trick. Chase teared up at the thought…

_This really was all a game to him… and I'm just his fucking test subject. ___

__Chase took several shaky breaths to avoid crying, but he could feel a few tears seep through some of the eyes, rolling down his arms and back. He shivered at the cold tears and hugged his arms gently.  
Getting a drink sounded very appealing… maybe just a few, and if they were quick._ _

__

__After that, Chase exited the bathroom and waved to Marvin. He said he was tired and that he just needed some time in his room. He apologized that he couldn't help more before leaving it at that._ _

__He slowly rested down on his bed, grabbing at the covers as he did so. This was truly the only time he felt safe… holed up in his room. Alone. With nothing to hurt him, and no one to find out._ _

__If only he could stay in there forever._ _

__—_ _


	5. A First of Many

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase relives the memory of his very first "scar".

Chase remained in his room the rest of the day. He didn't leave for food, he didn't leave for anything. Even when Marvin came up to tell him that dinner was ready, he assured he would get some later and that he just wasn't feeling well.

His head rested down on his pillow and he glanced up at his window, watching the sunset light pour in from the window. Chase slowly closed his eyes after a bit, eventually drifting off to sleep.

  
  
  


_The concrete room was filled with the sounds of clinging as Chase tugged at his chains. He tried to see if they could come loose, if he could somehow worm his way out of them.There had to be some way out of here… there had to be some way to get back to the others… there just had to be._

_His tugging was interrupted by the door slamming open, and a familiar silhouette standing there with an eerie glow of red coming up from behind him. The shadow walked forward, and slowly came into view as he stood under the small flickering light in the room. As he came into view, he gave a wicked sharp toothed grin at Chase._

_“Anti… y-you can't keep me here.” Chase said, trying to remain confident. The poor attempt only made the demon laugh._

_“I can do whatever I want.” Anti chuckled, tilting his head and staring down at Chase’s neck, “And I have something very special for you…”_

_Chase’s small sliver of confidence faded away as he walked closer, knife in hand. Chase quickly used his legs to push himself back up against the wall, trying to get as far from Anti as he could. When Anti still came closer, he frantically tried to kick at the demon’s legs, anything to keep him from coming closer. However, his legs faded through the Anti’s as if he were a ghost. His struggling was only followed by echoed, sadistic laughter._

_Anti gripped onto Chase’s hair tightly, forcing Chase to look up at him. He watched as Chase let out a grunt, closing his eyes and trying to force and jerk his head away. His strength slowly waned, and his stubbornness didn't last as he knew it was useless. It was useless to fight… Anti would just find some way to tie him down, so what was the point..?_

_As much as Chase wanted to be strong for the others, as much as he wanted to have the strength of Jackie, Marvin’s confidence, JJ’s edurance, Henrik’s patience… he wasn't like the others. He didn't have anything that made him special like them. He didn't have anything that grounded him. He felt so… weak…_

_Chase’s eyes opened, looking up at Anti with short gasping breaths, and tears starting to fall down his cheeks. He didn't even try to hide it anymore. He was scared… so very scared._

_Anti grinned as Chase stared up at him. He kept his grip on the man’s hair before taking the knife and cutting slowly across his throat._

_The cut wasn't deep enough to puncture anything, but it was deep enough to make him bleed._

_More tears started to form as Anti pulled his knife away and let Chase’s hair go. The man’s head fell limp as he trembled._

_His neck didn't feel right._

_And not just because it had been cut, it truly felt wrong. He felt his neck starting to swell a bit, and he could feel something… moving, inside of it._

_What was moving in his neck..?_

_“W-what the fuck did you do to me?!”_

_Anti laughed and knelt down to look at him eye to eye, “It's a gift~” He grinned, leaning his arm on his knee as he stared at the new cut._

_Chase gave him a horrified look as he felt something moving there that shouldn't be. It pressed against the inside of his skin and it felt like it was moving deep in his neck, even in places that should be impossible. It felt like it was sitting where his vocal cords should be, but his speaking wasn't affected… was this some kind of magic..?_

_He took a shaky breath as he felt the edges of the scar pull apart, then close again. A whimper left him as he felt it move around in his neck. He quickly closed his eyes, praying that this was a nightmare… please let it just be a nightmare…_

_“Open your eyes~” Anti cooed. Chase could hear the demon waving his knife close to him._

_After a moment, he was hit with the reality that this really wasn't a nightmare. This wasn't a really convincing, horrible nightmare. He was stuck here with Anti… and this demon did something to him._

_Chase slowly opened his eyes, and was hit with a wave of nausea. He blinked a few more times and realized he could see… his chest? But he was looking up at Anti. He shook his head to try and wave off his headache. He thought this strange new piece to his vision was just because he was dizzy, so he kept blinking._

_After a few minutes, it still remained there. Even when his headache and dizzy spell faded… it was still there. Chase grew more concerned and the view of the strange vision shifted upward towards Anti as Chase looked up at him. As the view shifted, Chase could feel it move…_

_Chase blinked a few times before closing his two eyes… but he could still see. He could see from somewhere under his chin. He could see from… his neck._

_He opened his eyes again and immediately began to panic. Anti cut his neck… he had a cut on his neck… and now he can see from it… like it was… an eye._

_This isn't real… it isn't real… it isn't real..._

_“It worked.”_

  
  
  


Chase woke with a loud gasp, all of his eyes opening at once. His eyes looked around worriedly for the demon he witenessed in his dream, but realized he was now in his room. Safe.

He was only reliving a memory.

Chase looked down at himself as he sat up, down at all the open eyes that were scattered on his arms. The ones that allowed Chase to stare back up at himself. He hadn't even been awake that long, and he was already being reminded of how much he hated them.

Chase could tell he had been crying thanks to his shirt and some of his sheets being wet. Chase let out a shaky sigh and he pulled himself up, then walked over to his dresser. He closed all of his eyes before opening his usual two, pulling out a t-shirt.

He'd find a long sleeve shirt in the morning, but right now he just didn't have the motivation or energy to look for any.

He slipped off the hoodie before putting on the t-shirt, then turned and walked out of his room.

He quietly walked downstairs, looking around to see if anyone was there or awake. Chase looked up at the microwave clock to see it was 5:03am.

He made sure to be quiet as he slowly opened the fridge door and grabbed a bottle of water. Chase then hesitated before grabbing another… and another.

He settled at three bottles of water before closing the fridge, turning to see Jameson standing before him with a confused look. Chase flinched away but let out a sigh of relief when he noticed it was only Jameson.

“Hey JJ… sorry, did I wake you up?” Chase whispered, watching as JJ wrote him a small note in return.

{ No, I normally wake around this time. Why are you taking all of the water in the fridge? You know Jackie needs that. }

“I'm uh… thirsty.”

Chase paused and waited for JJ's response, { Enough to drink all of that? Normally I'd say drink water, it is indeed good for you… but isn't that a bit much? }

Chase gave a shy smile as JJ let out a quiet sigh.

{ … be sure to buy him more. }

“Thanks JJ, I will.” Chase said, about to walk off when JJ tapped him on the shoulder. He flinched and turned to look down at JJ. He noticed the dapper staring at some of the scars on his arms, and it made Chase nervous.

Thankfully, JJ looked back up at Chase and instead of asking about his scars, showed him a small message, { Why are you awake at this time anyways? }

“Oh, uh… nightmares.” Chase mumbled quietly.

{Do you want to talk about them?}

Chase gave a weak smile and shook his head, “No, but thanks for the offer… Goodnight JJ.” He said before hurrying back upstairs before JJ could extend the conversation further.

JJ let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. What on earth was Chase up to?  
  



	6. In Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase confronts Marvin about curses.

The next afternoon, Chase had been considering talking to Marvin. Not because he actually wanted to tell him about his situation, but because then Henrik would stop being so persistent in trying to help heal up Chase’s “wounds”. Even after his outburst, it only made the doctor more persistent in trying to help Chase. The thought of what would happen if Henrik somehow did end up stitching up his arm made him shiver. His thoughts went through different scenarios, where none of which would realistically happen. Henrik wouldn't sedate him, Jackie wouldn't try and hold him down, but his mind was going through so many what if's that he didn't stop and think about how possible they were. Henrik wouldn't try and stitch up Chase unless Chase agreed to it, and Jackie would never do that unless it was necessary.

Chase’s mind always seemed to wander to the worse… or wander to what he thought Anti would do.

The thoughts put enough fear into him that he stood up from his bed and walked out of his room, and directly across to the door across from him. Marvin’s room was right next to JJ’s on the top floor, across from Chase’s. He was normally in his room around this time, and he hadn't heard Marvin talking from downstairs, and usually the magician is very talkative. He lifted his hand, ready to knock, but Chase just… stood there.

_ What if he finds out? He's always been the most squeamish… and if he tells? Would he do that? Maybe I should walk away- _

Just as Chase was turning away, he nearly ran directly into someone.

It was Marvin. Just his luck. The magician was standing there, now with his arms crossed and a raised eyebrow, “Why are you standing outside my room?”

“I-I uh…” Chase stuttered before shyly saying, “I thought… you were in there…”

“Well, I'm here now! So come on in.” Marvin said, brushing off the fact that Chase really had just been staring at the door for a while. The magician knew he had after watching from the stairs, but he assumed Chase would only get defensive if he brought it up.

Chase hesitated before awkwardly shuffling inside. He was  _ just  _ about to leave… he never should have even walked into the hall in the first place. He should have actually checked if Marvin was downstairs rather than assumed.

“So, what's up?” Marvin asked, sitting down in his spinny chair with a grin, his long hair spinning around with him before he came to a stop.

Marvin’s room was definitely one of the prettiest in the house, with a queen sized bed that had white and red blankets. He had a bookshelf for his tomes, and a vanity where he got ready for the day.

“Oh… uh… I just have a question…” Chase said quietly, rubbing at his arm a bit. He felt the closed eyes, and had to resist the urge to shiver as he felt them move from under their lids.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“... if…” Chase was about to play it off, but sighed. He thought of the most simple truth he could give him and finally looked Marvin in the eye, “Anti… he… put some kind of curse on me… can you get rid of it..?”

Marvin went silent and his eyes widened, “A curse?”

Chase nodded, looking away from Marvin again. He went to rub the back of his neck just to be reminded he had an eye stuck there too. His hand then tried to rub his arm, and he was heavily reminded that there were eyes there too. He couldn't rub his forehead because there is an eye there _ too. _

Eyes…  _ everywhere _ .

After an awkward moment of Chase moving his hand a bit to figure out where he could place it, he finally gave up and just slipped it back into his pocket.

Marvin noticed his odd behavior but decided to keep asking questions, “Is it your scars?”

Chase was about to argue that they weren't scars, but quickly decided against that, “... yeah.” He said quietly.

Marvin nodded, looking down at Chase’s arms, “... is that why you've been avoiding Henrik?”

Chase gave another silent nod.

“How do you know it's a curse? What does it do?” Marvin asked, and Chase gave a worried glance his direction but was just met with Marvin’s concerned look staring back at him. 

Chase looked away from Marvin’s eyes again, “... the scars never heal… and they don't look right… and they  _ hurt _ … it happens to every cut I get…”

“That doesn't mean it's-”

“Please look into it… for me.” Chase pleaded, his trembling starting to return. He knew Marvin wouldn't get very far, but at least it would keep Henrik off his back. He was really just looking for some excuse to keep the doctor far away from them, and saying they were magic related normally kept him far away from just about anything.

Marvin noticed his reaction before quietly sighing, “Alright… but Chase… you know you can tell us anything, right?”

_ He doesn't know… he doesn't… fuck, who am I kidding? He knows I'm hiding something. _

“Y-yeah… of course…” Chase’s shaky voice didn't put either of them at ease. It just added to the awkward tension of the room, and Chase took that as his cue to leave. As Chase left, JJ was just about to enter. Chase gave him an awkward wave before sneaking back into his room.

He thought about changing into a long sleeve shirt, but decided against it. He didn't plan on leaving his room much today anyways, even if he should spend more time with the others while he could.

Instead, he glanced around his room. He gave a hefty sigh before standing back up and walking to his closet. He pulled out a suitcase from the top shelf, one he usually used for vacations, and set it down. Slowly he unzipped it and after a bit of questioning, wondering if this was the right decision, started to pack in some clothes.

Just in case he needed to leave after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter!! I'm working on more!!


	7. Nightmares and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase packs up his things. Meanwhile, he is threatened with more nightmares the following night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy, long chapter! Plus, I wrote this before the whole Marvin Halloween cult looking thing, so he's actually squeamish in this fic... I don't think he would be if he was in a cult but whatever! Hope you enjoy!

Chase had managed to stay in his room nearly the full day. He mainly just scrolled through social media, or packed his suitcase, setting important things inside. He kept it in his closet and shut the door if he thought someone was coming inside, or if he had to leave for a moment. The only times he did leave was for a snack or to use the restroom. He kept his trips downstairs short to avoid Henrik and Marvin at all costs. He even tried to avoid JJ sometimes. For Jackie, he didn't have much of a reason to, and felt bad as he tried to cut their conversations short. The hero did save him after all… and he just avoided anyone in fear that he might let something slip, or he might get confronted by Marvin or Henrik.

Neither of which he wanted, so he left his door locked as he stayed in his room.

Most of the day was spent on his phone, but he decided to start packing again. He glanced at his phone to check the time. 9:40pm.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he knew he should probably sneak out to go grab some dinner soon… but for now he just focused on packing. He suddenly remembered something and knelt down beside his bed, bending over to grab a medium sized metal box underneath it. He pulled it out and set it on top of his bed before pulling open one of his desk drawers to get a small key that opened it.

He turned the key, hearing it click, then slowly slid open the cold lid.

He looked down at an array of photos kept there, as well as trinkets, but his eyes were drawn to the one main focus of the box. He pulled out the glock that laid down across it all, taking a close look at it. The safety was on, but even if it wasn't Chase didn't hesitate to look it down the barrel before setting it back down. He glanced around at all the pictures. The other memories he wanted to keep locked away.

Even so, he knew he had to take it with him.

So he closed the box up, locked it shut again, then set it inside his suitcase.

He'd be needing it later.

—

Chase was sitting in the cold and barren concrete room, his hands cuffed in front of him. They used to be behind him, but Anti wanted them to be in front of him today, and Chase was too scared to question why. He hardly was able to put up a fight with how quick the demon was.

Chase was still trying to process the newly carved eye in his neck. He didn't want to believe it… and kept it closed. He ignored it as best he could, but that didn't last long considering how he could feel it and the thought of it never really left his mind.

The door creaked open again, and the demon walked closer with a wicked grin. He had his knife ready in his hand, “I just made sure your friends can't find you~ it would be a shame if you had to leave so soon.”

“They'll find me… I know they will.”

“By the time they do, you'll be wishing they didn't.”

Chase gave a confused and concerned look as the demon laughed. Anti slowly began circling him, holding his knife. Chase kept his eyes on him, but tried not to show any fear.

However, when the demon quickly knelt down and grabbed Chase by the arm, he couldn't help but flinch. He tried his best to pull his arm away, tugging at the demon’s grip and kicking at his legs.

“Don't move so much, or I might make a wrong cut~” He teased, then used his heel to catch Chase’s leg and press down. Chase could feel it cave in ever so slightly under the pressure for a moment before Anti pulled his foot away.

“I didn't want to break your legs, but if you keep acting up, I might have to.”

Chase’s eyes widened as he pulled his legs back slowly.

“What's your plan anyways? Kick me, and then what? Even if I had the keys, you couldn't open those cuffs up by yourself.” He chuckled, watching as Chase’s hope of escape started to bleed away, “No one is going to find you… not unless I let them.”

Chase tried to shake his head, ready to say something when Anti grabbed him by the jaw and held him back enough that the chain was pulled tight enough that Chase couldn't move his arms. Anti kept one hand firmly on Chase’s neck as the one with the knife made three cuts into his forearm.

Anti abruptly let him go and backed away, tilting his head as he watched the cuts bleed a bit.

Chase swiftly tried to pull himself away from Anti with gasping breaths, even with the cuts already marked into his skin. He didn't understand the demon’s behavior at all, at least not until he felt the same sensation he had in his neck the first time, now in his arms.

Chase stared down at his arms in fear as he watched the wounds start to swell up. He could feel the same movement in his arm, the same strange... gross feeling of liquid, or something soft moving from under the scars.

Before, Chase didn't have to see it… but now…

The three scars slowly peeled open a small amount, something white flashing from underneath before closing again. They opened once again and an iris rolled into place. Two blue eyes, one brown… all staring back up at him… and he could see himself staring down at him. It was disorienting, and Chase immediately began to tear up at the sight. He tugged at his chains and whimpered, wanting to desperately scratch his arm, or rub them off… or anything. Anti just laughed and began walking closer…

“NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

The demon didn't listen and readied his knife in his hand, getting closer… and closer… and-

  
  
  


“CHASE! Wake up!”

Chase quickly shot up, and all of his eyes were wide open. His shirt and sheets felt all sweaty… or were those tears? He couldn't tell just yet, and hardly was given the time to think as he heard a very loud, high pitched scream sound from right beside him.

“Oh my god, oh mygodohmyGOD.” Marvin was now standing up and moving away from the bed, “Oh Jesus Christ… w-what the fuck…”

Chase looked up at him with fear, and immediately closed all of his eyes before opening his normal two, “M-Marvin calm down… please… please calm down…”

“Calm down?! You have… eyes… all over your arms…” He blinked a few times before whispering, “... a-am I dreaming..?”

“No, and I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone.”

“What?!”

“Please!”

Marvin was ready to argue when the door opened. He flinched and quickly turned to face Jackie, who was standing there with wide eyes, “I heard a scream, is everything okay?”

“I-I um… that…” Marvin glanced back down at Chase with a worried look, then back up at them, “... t-that was me… sorry…” The magician squeaked out with a stiff wave and forced smile. He bit his lip to refrain from saying anything else. Chase could already tell he was going to get the lecture of a lifetime after this… but it was far better than the alternative.

“Marvin? What are you doing in here?” Jackie asked, as Henrik glanced inside. JJ was also there, and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

“I was… ummm… w-we were… uh…”

“Jackie, let's leave zhem alone.” Henrik interrupted, then tugged at Jackie’s hoodie.

“Hey, wait! But-”

“Ve need sleep and so do zhey. It's a false alarm.” Henrik argued and shoved him out of the way before looking at them both with a glare, “Be more quiet next time.”

JJ smiled and waved sleepily before Henrik shut the door.

“... huh.”

“... huh?”

The both of them looked at each other with confusion. Marvin didn't even bother trying to know what Henrik meant, and quickly rushed over to sit next to Chase. Chase however, quickly pushed himself away into the corner where his bed and wall met, hugging at his knees.

“Chase-”

“I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm so fucking sorry…” He cried, tears starting to come from his eyes. Marvin moved closer but it made Chase curl up further.

“What are you apologizing for..? I should be sorry… it just… scared me, a little…” Marvin let out a weak laugh. Chase kept crying and it made Marvin's heart sink. 

“I'm sorry you had to see them… I'm so so sorry… I look like a monster… I'm a fucking freak…”

“Chase…” Marvin moved to sit on the end of his bed, facing him, “No you don't… it's okay, and… you said this was a curse, right? I'll help you.”

“You can't… you can't help me…”

“Why not?”

Chase was ready to say it was because Anti told him, but that wasn't a solid argument. In fact, a lot of what he thought about them and himself were things Anti had said and forced him to say over, and over, and over again.

“... well?”

“Anti said you couldn't…”

“And you believe him?”

Chase hugged his legs closer as tears kept falling down his face. Marvin had noticed the scars on his arm had begun to weep too, and were staining his arms. 

“... Chase it's okay. Relax… I'm… I'm not going to tell anyone if that's what you want.”

“You're not..?”

“Of course not.”

Chase slowly uncurled himself from his position. Marvin watched him move the tiniest bit closer. The magician looked at Chase’s chest in concern as he saw his shirt starting to get wet there too as he cried.

How many of these eyes did he have?

“Chase, how many…”

“A lot.” He interrupted, gently hugging at his arms trying to hide as many as he could before going silent.

“Show me.”

“Huh?” Chase gave a confused and fearful look. The magician was, just moments ago, scared to death of them… and now he wanted to see them?

“I know you have more than just these. I want to see them.”

“But-”

“Please?”

Chase gave him a worried look, but Marvin seemed serious about it. He let out a quiet but shaky sigh as he slipped off his shirt. It was starting to get wet with all the tears he was crying anyways.

As Chase threw the shirt aside, Marvin's eyes widened as he saw all the lines across his chest. They all had tear streams leaking down from them, some larger and some smaller. Chase tried his best to wipe all of them away, but as he did so his own eyes just started to water more.

“No, stop. Chase stop.” Marvin said quickly, gently taking his hands and pulling them away from his chest. Chase wanted to pull away, but he was too exhausted to even try.

Marvin faced him as they sat in bed, “... I'm going to help you, okay? I promise.”

“You can't…”

“I can, and I will try my fucking best to.” Marvin assured, looking down at one of the scars… no, eyes, that was on his hand. He gently rubbed his thumb over it as he looked at all the closed eyes that were in his hand.

“Was this from yesterday?”

“Mhm…”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, it's not your fault. Besides, it… it let me know that any cut I get will… it will end up like this…” His voice became quieter as he looked down at his hands, keeping a wary eye as Marvin gently brushed up against the eyes there. He wasn't sure why but he had a lingering fear that Marvin would press down hard and try to squish one of them out of curiosity. 

But the magician didn't, he was very gentle as he held his hand and looked at them.

“... then it is a curse, no doubt about it. It can't be a circle or an item if it's tied to you like this.”

Marvin leaned in a bit to look at the creases on his palm, trying to get a closer look at this curse when one of the eyes on Chase’s hand shot open. Marvin flinched and let out a yelp, pulling away. The eye closed and Chase let out a quiet laugh as Marvin gently smacked him on the leg, “You did that on purpose!”

Marvin gently took hold of Chase’s hand again and looked over the creases. After a moment he looked up at Chase, “Hey, can you do something for me?”

“U-um… sure… what is it..?” Chase asked hesitantly.

It took Marvin a moment to respond. Normally he would have asked Chase about this in the morning… but if he did, Chase would probably be quicker to refuse.

Now was the best time to study them, and hopefully have Chase open up more as to what exactly happened.

He wanted to help him.

“I need to count how many there are, and I need help keeping track… so can you open the ones I count?”

“... I thought they freaked you out?”

“... Uh… I’m not going to lie to you, they… kind of do, but I gotta get used to them eventually because I’m going to do my best to break this curse… and there's no way in hell I'm letting you go through this on your own.” Marvin admitted quietly, “So… this is to help me and you.”

Chase smiled slightly at him. At least he was being honest about it and not lying to him.

He looked back down at Marvin’s hands as the magician gently brushed a thumb across one of the eyes on his fingers.

“One…”

Slowly a small brown eye looked up at him, blinking a few times. Marvin stared at it for a moment, likely reconsidering his choices… but it was too late now. He then continued gently rubbing the eyes he was counting, wiping away any remaining tears as he did.

“Six…”

Marvin had brushed up against a large eye on the back of Chase’s hand. It opened up to reveal a purple eye and Marvin smiled at the sight, completely forgetting about the fact it was on the back of Chase’s hand for a moment, “How pretty!”

Chase smiled and the eye blinked a few times, looking away from Marvin as it followed the others.

“Thirty four.”

Marvin let out a quiet sigh as they finished the first arm. He glanced over at his other arm and began counting the eyes there. It was only now setting in at exactly how many Chase had… and that Anti cut every single one into him.

“Sixty one.”

Marvin said, finishing the last one on his other arm. His focus then turned to the numerous ones left on his chest. He hesitated before reaching out and gently rubbing away the tear marks that were left on them before counting again.

“Seventy eight. Seventy nine…” Marvin hesitated as he reached the largest line that went across Chase’s neck. He slowly brushed his thumb across it and watched as it opened up and revealed a bright red iris. It remained half closed most of the time and stared up at Marvin as all the others have been. Marvin took a shaky breath before moving on to the others.

“... do you have any on your back?”

“I have a lot on my back.”

“Chase! God, we are going to be here forever...”

“This was your idea!”

Marvin let out a quiet laugh with Chase before doing the last two on his neck before having Chase turn around.

Chase wasn't kidding either… there was a lot more on his back. Thankfully not as many as on his chest, but close.

“Ninety two. Ninety three. Ninety four.”

Marvin finished counting and waited for Chase to turn back around to face him so he could count the ones left on his face.

He counted the two on his upper right cheek, one on his upper left cheek, and one on his left lower cheek. Then lastly, the bright blue eye on his forehead in between his normal eyes.

“Ninety nine! Or a hundred and one of you count your normal eyes.” Marvin smiled and rested back against the bed, “Whew… that took a while.”

“Um… Marvin-”

“Please don't tell me there are more on your legs.”

Chase let out a quiet laugh, “N-no… uh…” He paused before saying, “... nevermind.”

“Nuh uh. Tell me. Did I miss one?”

“Y-yeah. Just one.”

“So you do have a hundred! Where is it?”

Chase paused for a moment, looking around nervously, “It's uh… it's…”

Marvin gave a very worried glance before Chase very quickly shut down the idea of any below his waist.

He hesitated before opening up his mouth and sticking out his tongue as far as he could. The final eye slowly opened up and Chase winced as he felt how strange it was. It quickly shut closed and he let his tongue quickly go back into his mouth as he visibly shuddered. The rest of the eyes shut closed as well, seeing as Marvin finished.

“Ah… one hundred…” Marvin said quietly, “... I thought you said these only came from… wounds?”

“They do.”

“Anti cut your tongue?!”

“I-it… I was…” Chase went quiet, and they both sat in silence for a few minutes.

“... sorry, I know it's… it's still a tough subject. I just… I want to help you, and know what he did to you....” Marvin paused before trying to lighten up the situation, “...And I want to beat his ass for what he did.”

Marvin smiled a bit as Chase let out a small breathy laugh.

“... but, if you're not ready that's okay. You don't have to tell me, just know i'm here for you.”

“... yeah… he um…” Chase looked down at his hands and fidgeted with them a bit. Marvin sat up straight again to listen to him, “... when… when I didn't stop talking, stop saying you guys would come back, for me… he cut my tongue. He threatened to do it again, cut the inside of my mouth if I didn't… if I didn't listen to him.”

“Listen to him?”

“He made me repeat things… that you weren't coming back. That I looked… freakish.” He said quietly, “... and he told me that you couldn't help me… and that you'd only find me if he let you.”

“Well, we did. Jackie busted his ass trying to find you since my locating spells weren't working. And Chase, you don't look freakish. If anything, that green ass demon bitch is being a hypocrite. He's got a giant cut across his throat and pointed ears!”

Chase smiled and laughed a bit, “... y-yeah…” His smile faded again, “... he asked if I wanted to be stuck with a monster, or in a house of people who'd think of me as one…”

“We don't think of you as a monster. And even now I don't see you as a monster at all.”

“Marvin, you know everyone would stare if they knew…”

“That's called curiosity.”

“It's called fear, and it’s the reason you screamed.”

“Hey, don't use that against me! You caught me off guard. It was a perfectly understandable reaction when you don't know the situation.”

Chase sighed quietly and stood up, looking through his drawers to find a long sleeved shirt.

“Chase… you don't have to be afraid to tell the others.”

“Yes I do.” He said sternly, “... I’m not telling them.”

“And when did you plan on telling them? I know you weren't planning on telling me, and I couldn't do shit to help you unless I actually knew what we were dealing with!”

Chase’s eyes drifted to the closet.

“... were… you just never going to tell us?”

Chase looked back down at the drawer quietly as Marvin kept asking questions. He just remained silent and slipped on a long sleeved shirt.

“Chase… what were you planning to do?”

Chase looked over at Marvin, who had a hurt look on his face. His heart sank at the sight.

“Were you trying to leave?”

“... it's was just in case… things didn't work out.”

“And what did you plan on doing? Chase, what was your plan? Just… leave? Deal with this until someone finds out, then leave again?”

“Something like that.”

“Chase, we can help you!”

No you can't…

Chase avoided himself from saying that, and gently rubbed at his arm, “... you can. I’m glad you found out, that you can help… just… the others don't need to know. Please.”

Marvin sighed quietly. The more he thought about it, perhaps it would be best if not all of them knew, “... fine.”

There was an awkward silence between the two, and it dragged on for a little while.  
Chase rubbed a bit at his sleeve before looking back up at Marvin, “I'm gonna head back to bed…”

Marvin nodded before standing back up. He looked down at Chase’s bed before back up at him, “You're sure you will be okay?”

“I'll be fine. I just need sleep.” His eyes wandered back up at the worry on Marvin’s face. It didn't take long before he nodded again.

“Okay. Goodnight Chase. Let me know if you need anything.” Marvin was about to walk out when he heard Chase speak up quietly.

“Wait…”

Marvin turned back around and looked down at Chase. It looked like he was ready to cry when he quietly said, “... I just… need a hug.”

He gave the man a small and warm smile as he walked forward, gently wrapping his arms around him. Chase breathed out a shaky and relieved sigh as he rested his head on Marvin’s shoulder. Tears fell from Chase’s eyes again, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop them.

“It's okay Chase… we’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter might not be for a while <3


	8. Talk it out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marvin confronts Chase about his nightmares and recommends he talks to someone about it. Chase finds someone to talk to, and reveals to them about how he was taken.

  
  


The more Chase thought about the situation last night, the more he blamed himself (and his lack of sleep) for everything that happened. At this point he was partially happy that Marvin knew and partially upset that Marvin knew, and a part of him believed it was all some weird fever dream he had in the night. Especially where Marvin counted each and every scar. That's was _so_ stupid. He shouldn't have shown all of them, he shouldn't have shown them at all. He should have kept it to himself, and _kept_ _his_ _stupid mouth shut._

Perhaps on the bright side, now Marvin will know that Chase isn't avoiding food because he hates his cooking. It's just the fact that it is worrisome to actually eat anything considering it can burn very  _ very _ bad if he did get some stuck...

Though it wasn't any better that now when he was in the room with Marvin, the magician had a very noticeable urge to glance down at his scars. Of course he would try to avoid it and do his best to keep Chase from finding out he was staring, but inevitably Chase managed to catch him glancing at them throughout the day.

It wasn't until the others had returned to their rooms when Marvin confronted him. Chase had finished eating lunch and was ready to clean a bit when Marvin walked up.

“Hey, feeling any better?”

“... a little.” Chase mumbled, still unsure if he should address the staring or not. Instead, he decided to ask something else that had been on his mind, “Hey, how did you get into my room? I always lock the door.”

“You think I wouldn't find some way to get into your room? I know teleportation spells, Chase. When I heard you crying I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“You heard that in your room, asleep?”

“Who said I was asleep?” Marvin smirked, to which Chase raised an eyebrow.

“It was like two in the morning!”

“I was busy with shit. I'm always working on spells, and I just stayed up a bit later that night to finish my notes… then you scared the shit out of me. I thought…  _ he _ was back...” His body shifted a bit at the thought, “... thankfully that wasn't the case.”

“... sorry.” Chase mumbled quietly, looking away from Marvin’s eyes, “I didn't mean to scare you.”

“It's not your fault. Speaking of, did you have any more nightmares last night?” The magician took Chase’s plate and rested it in the sink for him. He leaned up against the counter with his arms crossed as he listened.

“No…”

“Did you sleep at all?”

“... no, I didn't.”

“Chase, that's not good.”

Chase let out a quiet scoff followed by a smile, “No shit, hypocrite.”

“Okay yeah I know this looks bad, but I’m serious! There's a difference between sleeping four or five hours and just not sleeping at all. I stay awake because I choose not to, but recurring nightmares is something that actually needs to be addressed.” Marvin persisted, and Chase’s smile fell with it.

“You should… talk to someone about it. Not in detail... I'm just saying it's not good to keep that all to yourself.” He rested his hand on Chase’s shoulder gently, “I'm here if you need to talk about it. Or if you want, you can actually talk to the others-”

“I'm not telling them!” Chase said in a harsh whisper, but Marvin raised his hand back up as a sign to let him speak.

“Hear me out, talk to them in a vague way. You don't have to mention the curse, if that makes you feel better. Less about you and more about... him.” Chase let out a quiet sigh and looked away. His mind raced through the possibilities, that the others might question him and what exactly happened, but he didn't want to worry Marvin any further.

“Think about it, okay? It might help you get some sleep at night.”

“Sleep is for the weak.” Chase teased, resting his arms against the counter and looking up at Marvin with a smile.

“Well I don't know about you but I want my beauty sleep, thank you.” Marvin smiled back at him, and Chase let out a quiet laugh.

“Sure, staying up at ungodly hours of the night is getting beauty sleep.”

“I'll go to bed earlier tonight! Well…” He stopped himself, causing Chase to give both a concerned and curious glance., “... I have to work on reversing your curse, so maybe not. I'll probably pull a Henrik and drink coffee all night long.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

“Don’t expect me not to. I can tell how much this is bothering you, and I'm going to do my very best to get rid of it. I made a promise.” Chase looked up at him with a worried look, but Marvin looked entirely serious as he crossed his arms.

“... stubborn, aren't you? Listen, just be careful, okay?” A smile formed on Chase’s lips, and Marvin followed with his own.

“Of course. And you need to relax, it will be okay. We will fix this.”

Chase gave him a hesitant nod before the magician let out a loud sigh, “Alright, well I'm off to work on your cure. Research is a pain in the ass, let's hope it's something  _ he _ read up.”

“... and if it isn't?”

Marvin’s smile turned from confident to nervous, “Well… uh… if he created it, things might get complicated, but it's still doable. Might take longer is all.”

Chase hummed quietly. His eyes drifted over towards his own arm, and he stared at the lines there. Marvin noticed and sighed once again.

“You shouldn't be so worried… no one is going to think you are a monster. You're still our friend. You're still Chase, and nothing is going to change that.”

His words hardly reached Chase at all. The only thing running through his mind was all the things Anti had said to him, and made him repeat.

And repeat.

… and repeat.

Over. And over. And  _ over… _

“Chase?”

Chase quickly snapped out of his trance at the mention of his name and he looked at Marvin expectantly, “Hm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just spaced out.” He mumbled quietly, then pushed himself off the counter, “I'll just be in my room.”

“Hey, hear me out on talking to someone. It'll help you feel a lot better.” Marvin insisted before starting to walk out of the kitchen, “I'll be in my room if you need me, just let me know if you want to talk.” 

“Alright, will do.” Marvin gave him a smile and reassuring wave before heading back upstairs. Chase let out a quiet sigh and glanced around the kitchen, then back at the living room. His mind was going back and forth between if he should talk to someone, and who he should talk to if he was going to.

It didn't take long before he decided.

-

Marvin made this sound a lot easier than it was.

He sat in a lingering silence with Jameson. Already he was panicking and stressed out, and this was the  _ opposite _ of what he or Marvin wanted. All Chase wanted was some way to relax, maybe vent a bit. Instead he was being eaten up by the fear of situations that have not, and likely will never, happen. It's become a constant dilemma where he always imagines the worst of the egos, even when they have done nothing wrong to him.

Maybe Chase just forgot a part of who they were in that time being locked up.

Chase was brought back from his thoughts as a hand was gently rested against his shoulder. A note was also placed in front of him.

[You seem awfully distracted, do you need more rest? We don't need to talk about this today if you aren't well enough for it.]

“O-oh, sorry JJ. No, I’m fine...” For someone who just wanted to get out of the situation, maybe he should've taken that as an opportunity to leave.

But he did tell Jameson he would talk, and JJ was taking time out of his day to listen to him, so there was no point in putting it off. He had to tell someone eventually, and Jameson could sympathize the most with his experiences. That's no good thing… but Chase found it easier to talk with someone who knows about Anti and the extremes he goes to. They share scars and experiences from the same person. If anyone knew the amount Chase was put through it was Jameson, and he found a strange, if morbid sense of comfort in that.

“... I uh… well…” Chase stuttered, but he had no idea what to say. He watched as Jameson began to write down on his notepad, then showed him a note.

[Start from the beginning?]

Chase hesitated before nodding, rubbing his arm a bit on his shoulder, “Yeah… okay.”

Jameson gave a final reassuring nod and waited for Chase to speak his mind.

“... I guess what freaked me out the most about that day was how normal it seemed… everything was fine… but he just showed up out of nowhere. It was so fast.”

[I remember.]

-

Chase gave a quick wave and smiled towards the others, “I'll be outside with Henrik.”

“Alright!” Jackie had called from the couch, watching some Spider-Man TV show that he had been binging all day as he did work on the computer. Jameson was in the kitchen taking sips of tea while Marvin was likely up in his room practicing who knows what kind of spells.

Chase had gotten used to the unnatural by now… but has never ceased to be amazed by magic and superpowers.

Chase walked over and sat down in a chair, staring up at the sun slowly setting on the horizon. It wasn't necessarily dark yet, but the sun was low enough that bright beautiful colors had begun to bleed into the sky. It was a beautiful sight, and Chase and the doctor sat in a comfortable silence as they stared up at it.

“... How have you been doing?”

Chase looked up at Henrik, then back at the sun setting, “Alright… actually I've been doing pretty well. I’m getting used to the others… they actually feel like... family now.”

“Zhat is good. I'm glad you enjoy it here.”

A small smile formed on Chase’s face, “Yeah… staying here has been nice.” His voice trailed off as if he was going to continue, but decided to stop there.

Henrik’s eyes turned away from the sunset to look back at him, “Are you going back to your apartment?”

“... actually, I was wondering if I could just get my things and come back. I planned to stay for a month but… I would like to stay longer if you will have me.”

“Of course. I honestly believe it vould be best if you did.”

“Because of An-”

“Ve don't say his name unless ve need to.”

“Sorry, because of… him?”

Henrik gave a solemn nod, “He is not a joke. The moment you met and stayed with us, now he knows you. He could come after you as he did us.”

“I've never actually seen him. What's he like?” Chase asked, leaning forward to rest his arms against his legs. He rethought what he said for a moment before quickly correcting himself, “I-I mean, if you're okay with talking about it, you know.”

“It's fine. He’s the closest thing I've seen to a demon. Acts like one too. Green and black eyes, and a slit running across his throat that keeps bleeding out.”

“Sounds like he needs medical attention.”

“Yes, vell he can get it from anyone else but me.” The two both laughed quietly before glancing back up at the sunset before them.

“... how are zhe kids?”

“I haven't seen them in a really long time…” Chase sighed, “Hopefully I can see them again soon. Not sure yet. My calls keep getting declined…”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.” Chase paused for a moment, took a sigh, then restarted, “Well, it's not okay. I really want to see them and I'm not even given a chance to try… but I'm trying to make the best of it.” He looked back up at Henrik and gave a gentle smile, “If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't have come. Since… I doubt Stacy would let them near me at all if she knew about all of you.”

“Rude.” Henrik scoffed but Chase just chuckled.

“It's true… she would either think you guys are crazy or I am. Probably both.”

“I'll let Marvin know to put a curse on her if she ever comes by.”

“Henrik, no!” Henrik smirked as Chase was trying to figure out if he was serious or not.

“I'm kidding. Jackie can punch her instead.”

“ _ Henrik.” _

“I can pull out my scalpels and put strawberry jam all over my coat?”

“Are you trying to make sure I never see my kids again?”

“Stacy is a bitch. Zhe kids can stay. I vould love to see zhem, just not her.”

“Fucking same here...” Chase let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. They both watched as the tiny sliver left of the sun ducked below the horizon. The once bright light had now faded and it became darker and darker. It wasn't a moment later when Henrik stood from his seat.

“Let's head inside. I believe Marvin said he vas cooking tonight but it seems like he's been caught up in his spells.”

“Damn I'm ready for some good food. We'd better remind him then.” Chase smiled and picked himself up out of his chair. He took one step forward when he felt something tugging at his leg. His eyes widened and his eyes landed on a red dimly glowing string, or some kind of thin rope that had wrapped around his ankle. The end of it led down the slope of the backyard and into the dark forest just a few meters away.

“Hey… Henrik?”

Henrik turned to look at Chase, but was hardly given a moment to react before the string pulled Chase’s leg out from beneath his feet. A loud thud sounded as he slammed into the ground, but the string kept dragging him away.

Chase tried to turn, using his other foot to try and push away or stop himself from being dragged further and further by the second. He tried to grab at anything.

Nothing worked. It was too fast. Too strong.

“JACKIE, MARVIN!” Henrik called, taking the time he could to try and run after him.

Chase watched as the string around his leg split in two, then four, then five. Two of the strings wrapped themselves around his wrists, his other ankle, his neck… he only saw a glimpse of the superhero and sorcerer before everything was pulled away from view. In the darkness of the forest.

Chase turned himself around and faced where the strings were pulling him, tugging at them. The strings filled him with anxiety, and even while he was being dragged he tried desperately to pull them off. He tried… but he felt so tired.

_ So tired… exhausted… _

He gave the string around his neck one final pull before his vision faded to black.

When he came to, he was in a barren concrete room. Chained up against the ground. A room he would be staying in for a lot longer than he had thought.

-

Chase didn't only mention his capture, but he mentioned his nightmares. He remained vague of his descriptions, saying that he was truly cursed in some way. That his wounds hurt more and refused to go away, but mentioned nothing of what they  _ actually  _ were.

Jameson nodded to his stories and listened attentively. When Chase let out a quiet sigh to show he was finished, the dapper pulled out his notepad and began writing.

As he did, Chase occasionally glanced over his shoulder but tried to give Jameson space, “... I should try and learn sign some time.” He mumbled quietly, to which Jameson gave a small smile before finishing his note.

[ I cannot say that being here in this house will stop him from attacking, but know that you are protected. Marvin and Jackie are both capable of fighting him and will do everything they can to protect you. And…

I believe that you think he has control here even when he doesn't. He instills fear and tries to use you through that. To make you fear him and feel weaker, so everything seems hopeless when he shows up. To fear him at every mention of his name or any unfamiliar noise outside your window. He isn't actually there, you just have so much fear for him, you think it  _ is _ him. You associate him with fear because of what he did. You always expect the worst because that's what he’s always given, but you need to remember that there is more than the bad side of things, and fear of what is to come. The moment you realize he isn't here, that he doesn't have control over your life in such a way… it is very freeing. You are you, and you can do whatever you'd like. It's not up to him, you're not his to toy with. ]

Jameson gave a gentle smile as he tapped a finger at the final little note on the bottom of the page.

[So stay strong, stay positive! We will do our best to protect you,  _ and _ help with your curse.]

Chase gave a weak smile back, then after a moment of silence, he slowly held out his hand, “Can I have the note, please?”

Jameson hastily nodded and pulled it off. He handed it to Chase and watched as Chase folded it up before slipping it into his pocket. Not even a second later he had pulled Jameson into a big hug.

After a minute he slowly let go and looked back up at Jameson, taking his hand and holding onto it for comfort, “I don't know how our experiences were different. All of ours, and I'm not asking… for that. I don't need the story. I'm just… I want you to know I'm glad you're okay. That you guys are all okay. That he hasn't gotten to your spirits. That he… he hasn't hurt you all, really bad… that he…” He trailed off as Jameson gave an increasingly worried look. Chase took a deep breath before saying, “I'm just happy all of you are doing better… now.”

Jameson reassuringly rubbed his shoulder a bit before writing down a note, [We all had our rough patches. It takes time.]

“... will he ever stop?” The question caught Jameson off guard. Chase watched him with pleading eyes, hoping for an answer. Jameson simply responded with the truth.

[I do not know, but we will try our best to stop him.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very long chapter,,, I hope you guys enjoy!


	9. Things can get better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase starts to accept himself a little bit more, but is still weary around the other egos.

  
After Chase’s talk with Jameson, he was surprisingly close to showing him the truth behind his scars. He really was scared, and it wasn't his fear, it was what Anti instilled in him. His fears of the worst were both Anti and his own anxiety and none of it was based upon the others and their actions at all.

The egos were kind, and sweet. Marvin was the first to show that after he had come back from Anti and discovered his curse. Jackie was the one who risked his life to save him in the first place, and Chase  _ wished  _ he could tell him… but Jackie was very vocal, and the moment he told Jackie, or Jackie somehow knew, the secret was practically out. Jameson was also squeamish… and Henrik? He still had a haunting feeling that he'd try to learn more about them somehow by poking or prodding… even if he kept trying to tell himself that would never happen.

Chase had come from Jamie's room and walked up to Marvin’s door. He didn't hesitate this time as he reached his hand up and gave it a knock. A tired “come in” sounded from behind the door, which made Chase smile as he entered.

“I left you in here for four hours and you already sound exhausted. I hope you've been taking breaks.”

“It's been six hours, and I've been reading constantly…” He let out a frustrated sigh as he stared down at the exceptionally large book that laid in front of him, “This is being a pain in the ass already…”

Chase sighed at the fact Marvin hadn't taken any breaks, but he moved on, “You are right, it has been a while… so you know what that means?”

“Hm..?”

“Dinner time.”

Marvin’s grumpy pout turned up into a smile, “Sweet. Where are we going out to eat?”

“Aw man, did you want to go out to eat? I made some food but-”

“That's even better! What did you make?” Marvin said excitedly, and Chase felt relieved to hear.

“I was trying to think of something easy for me to eat, so… I made some pasta.”

There was a pause between them, “... it's Mac and cheese, isn't it?”

“.... yeah, it is.”

Marvin laughed and Chase began to laugh with him. The magician finally turned around to look up at Chase from his book. His eyes widened a bit as he saw Chase had a few of his extra eyes open. Not many… but the extra ones on his face and a few on his chest.

“Sorry, I-”

“No, it's fine!” Marvin assured as quickly as he could, “...So are you feeling better?”

“Yeah! Yeah… I uh…” Chase nervously rubbed the back of his head, “... I followed your advice and… I went and talked with Jameson a bit. He helped… so, uh… I'm just trying to get used to them, since I'm not sure how long I'll be having... them.”

“Well, I'm glad! It took me a little time to get used to them myself but… I really think they're beautiful.”

Chase scoffed, “You're just saying that to make me feel better…”

“Doesn't make it any less true.” The magician gave him genuine smile, and Chase looked back up at him with a smile to match.

“... thank you.” He paused for a moment before sighing and picking up his smile a bit more, “Alright, are you ready to go eat?”

“Yes!”

  
  
  


Considering Chase hadn't been eating well for a while, that Mac and cheese tasted like the best pasta he's had in his  _ life. _ Of course, it didn't feel right as he ate it… and Marvin occasionally gave worrying glances, but he pushed through it.

Then again, maybe Mac and cheese  _ wasn't  _ the best solution considering how cheesy it was, but Marvin had the feeling he just really wanted some.

Jackie even mentioned that Chase was eating better, which caused Chase to wonder how bad it must've gotten if  _ Jackie  _ noticed. Normally he was too focused on his hero work to pay attention to anyone… at least, that's what he usually thought. 

Then again… Jackie did save him, and Chase knew he still owed Jackie a really,  _ really  _ big thank you.

So the moment the others had left to their rooms, or sat down in the living room, Chase gave Jackie a tap on the shoulder and pulled him aside to the kitchen.

“What's up?” Jackie asked with a concerned look on his face. He was surprised as Chase opened his arms for a hug, and Jackie gladly accepted. The hero was much gentler this time, probably because Marvin had discussed with them all about his “scars”, but it was still a comforting hug nonetheless.

“I wanted to say thank you… for getting me out of there.” Chase said as he slowly pulled away, “I… really can't thank you enough.”

“Hey, I'm glad you're feeling better! You had me really worried there for a second…”

Chase gave him a nervous smile, “Well uh… I was just a little scared I guess…”

“Scared of what?”

Chase’s conversation stopped short and he didn't quite know what to answer with. He stared back at Jackie who was still looking at him with concern. The hero was so worried about him, and if he was okay.

Maybe that's why he noticed. Because he wanted to make sure Chase was okay after everything Anti did to him.

Maybe Jackie was a bit more perceptive than he thought… or more than he led the others to believe at least for being a dorky superhero.

“I… was just nervous. That's all.” He assured quietly, but it wasn't convincing to Jackie. The hero was ready to push the conversation when Marvin stepped in.

“Hey Chase, can you help me with some books in my room? I need help finding this one spell and I can't remember which book it was in to save my  _ life _ .” Marvin then looked over at Henrik that was sitting on the couch, “You are doing the dishes tonight, Henrik!”

Henrik just waved his hand, not bothering to look away from the TV as Marvin led Chase upstairs. Chase let out a quiet sigh of relief before getting ready to say something, but Marvin started up another conversation, “I was thinking that maybe if we both read, we could find it sooner! It's a hex that causes wounds to crystallize.”

“O-oh, yeah…” Chase said quietly, wondering if Marvin had really pulled him out for help. That maybe it was just a coincidence.

It wasn't until Marvin shut the door to his room as Chase walked in when he let out a sigh, “You're welcome, by the way.”

“I was gonna say…”

“I know, but you have to remember that Jackie has super hearing!” Marvin said in a harsh whisper, “My room has a spell around it because of that.”

“Oh.” Chase had forgotten about that.

“Yeah, so… if you actually want this to be secret, you really have to be careful… but, if you want to, you could just tell them and you wouldn't have to worry-”

“No…” Chase’s quick answer made Marvin sigh.

“Chase, you don't have to be so worried… they won't do anything! We are all family here… good friends. And even if they do try anything, which they  _ won’t…  _ but  _ if _ they do, you know I'll stop them. It's not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be!”

“Marvin, I don't want them to  _ stare… _ I can't handle that…” He hesitated, and slowly closed the few extra eyes he had open. He took a moment to think before saying, “ _ You _ stare! And it makes me feel like I'm… a freak...”

Chase’s words trailed off as he saw a hurt look on Marvin’s face. Slowly he continued despite that, looking away from Marvin's stare, “... and… I don't think I can handle everyone looking at me like that. I don't want to be stared at because of… this  _ shit _ .”

“Then… explain that to them-”

“Marvin, I've explained it to you but you do it anyway! Because it's weird, and fucking freaky, and messed up… and I don't blame you. I know it's hard to look away from it, but I can't handle that from everyone.”

Marvin just stared at him in silence, and the longer it dragged on the worse Chase felt.

“... okay.” Chase finally looked back up at Marvin, “... alright. I'll help you keep it from everyone, and I'll help you try and find a cure before they find out.”

“... thank you.”

Chase could sense Marvin was ready to snap at him. He was just  _ ready  _ to lecture Chase further but decided against pushing him once again. Marvin didn't have to tell him that they'd find out eventually, he knew Chase would figure that out the hard way.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he looked back at the book on his desk, “... I haven't found it yet, but… I need more information to narrow it down.”

“Okay… what information do you need?” Chase asked quietly, fidgeting a bit with his hands.

“So every scar opens an eye, yeah? Does how deep the cut is affect each eye?”

Chase paused to think about it before shaking his head, “No, I don't think so. Just how long it is on the surface.”

“Can you feel it hurt you?”

“... like can I feel the cut? Yeah.”

“But can you feel the aftermath of it? Does it bleed?”

Chase paused and began to think about it again. They never really bled after… they just immediately changed.

“...no. It doesn’t bleed or feel like anything afterwards. It's just immediately replaced…”

“Alright… that’s about all I need.” Marvin smiled, “Sounds like a healing, illusion type spell… the scars should have healed, and in place there are eyes on the surface. Just the surface, not underneath, even if it probably feels like it. That sounds like… actually, sounds like a strong fuckin’ spell, to heal that quickly.”

“Oh…” Chase paused for a moment, trying to take that in. Though he hardly picked up on it and the more he thought about it, the more confused he got, “...that is confusing…” He sighed and Marvin gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“That’s why I’m the one studying it and you’re not.” Marvin said with a cheeky smile as Chase scoffed, “I’ll find it eventually, you go relax.”

“Don't overwork yourself, Marvin.” Chase warned, giving him one last glance and the magician smiled back.

“Uh huh. Only if you actually go relax for once.”

“I have been relaxing!”

“I don’t think you’ve really relaxed at all since we have gotten back.” Marvin crossed his arms, “You keep worrying about the others this whole time. You need to  _ relax. _ ”

Chase let out a sigh, “... and  _ you  _ need to take it easy.”

“I'll do my part if you do yours.” Marvin smiled as Chase laughed.

“Alright… deal. I'll relax tonight, you take it easy.”

“Deal.”

Chase waved to Marvin as he walked out of the room, leaving the magician to his studies. Chase turned and walked into his own room, closing the door behind him and locking it.

He sat down on his bed with a huff, taking a glance at all the lines on his arms.

There were so, so many.

But that was okay. Because it wasn't going to last forever. And if it did, they were tolerable. Creepy, but not horribly painful.

So after a bit, his eyes all opened. It hit him with a wave of dizziness as he did, suddenly being able to see all around him at once was disorienting.

But he took the time to tolerate them a bit more.

He repeated the magician’s words in his head. That he found them beautiful.

It made Chase smile, and slowly, everything Anti had been saying to him was starting to wear away. Just a bit.


	10. Things can get worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase fears the day he might wake up in stitches, while Marvin tries to cover for his panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... yeah this definitely has implied Trickshot. :)  
> Don't know if I'll actually have them get together, but we will see! Probably not, at least not for a while but it's funny! Lightens the mood <3
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter!!

Last night was so _good_ . It was nice, and calming. He had _just_ started to feel better about his eyes. His scars.

When things went to shit, once again.

Marvin had left for a bit with Jameson. They had both left to go shopping and pick up groceries, while Jackie had left to do his own heroic duties. Henrik was probably at work, so he was alone in the house.

Chase was checking the mail for the day, he said he would, but now things turned out to be a rainy day. Thankfully it was only sprinkling, but it didn't make it any better for him.

He stumbled outside and down the path, opening up the mailbox and grabbing the week’s-worth of mail in there. He shuffled through it a tiny bit before slamming the lid back up and locking it, turning and starting to slowly walk back inside. Bills, some packages, some _more_ packages… He let out a quiet sigh as he walked down the pathway back.

**_BOOM._ **

Lightning struck nearby, rattling the ground beneath him. Chase turned and glanced behind him for a moment before running in a full blown sprint to get inside before any others struck even closer.

But he should have just walked. He should've fucking walked, nothing would have really hurt him if he did… but instead, he slipped on the wet concrete and felt his leg get cut by the metal windowsill next to the door. He let out a strained hiss, watching the surprising deep cut begin to bleed. Thankfully, no one was home so-

“Chase?”

Who..? Wait… Fuck. The doctor was still here. It was his day off. How could he forget it was his day off? He never saw Henrik leave!

Chase quickly patted at his jeans to try and hide the cut as the inside of it slowly became white, and the scar itself became raised, “Y-yeah, Henrik?” He asked shakily, pulling himself up with the door handle and quickly forcing himself in. He expected Henrik to be in the kitchen or sitting down, but it turns out he was right there. Ready to open the door.

He wasn't given a chance to hide his wound when Henrik glanced down to see blood on his pants and a cut to follow.

“You're hurt! Vhat happened??”

“It's just a cut… I was trying to run inside to beat the storm and my leg got caught on the little metal thing on the window out front…” He let out a tired laugh, “It's okay though-”

“Zhat doesn't look fine, it's bleeding.”

“It'll heal-”

“At least let me clean it up for you.” Henrik insisted, trying to walk closer.

“... Henrik, the curse.” Chase said quietly, hoping that would ease him off the subject. Henrik squinted his eyes at the word with a frustrated grumble.

“So vhat? I can't treat your vounds? Vhat is zhis ‘curse' you and Marvin keep talking about?” He crossed his arms and gave Chase an annoyed glare. Chase knew it was only because he was worried about him, but something in Chase... told him that Henrik would hurt him in some way.

“It's… it's complicated…” Chase said, his voice quiet, moving a bit behind the couch to hide his leg as the eye formed. It opened up, and if the arms weren't disorienting enough, this was even _worse_. Still, he closed it as fast as he could.

“Zhen explain it to me!” Henrik paused for a moment, hoping for a response. Chase didn't grant him with one, and the doctor let out a sigh, “... _please,_ Chase. I vant to help you.”

Chase hesitated, and watched the doctor carefully. Still, his overwhelming fear was overriding his better judgement. He feared the doctor. He _feared_ him. Before he would have trusted Henrik with his life. Before this curse, but now he feared the day the ‘scars’ on his arms would be clamped shut. If not that… experiments. Fuck, maybe…

_Maybe I never trusted them at all._

  
  
  


_Chase was left crying, and he squirmed as he felt tears forming at his other eyes as well. Anti was still in the room with him, drawing a few more lines into his skin with the blade. There was an array of scars littering his arm now. No, not scars, but eyes. Closed eyes. Eyes he never wanted to open._

_He felt like a freak, like some fucked up experiment. Disgusting… horrific. Before it had made him upset, but today… today he was pissed._

_“ W͈̎ha̞̓t̤̂'̙̑s̱͘ wron̥̕g?” The glitch grinned at him, watching tears stream off his arm and hit the concrete._

_Chase didn't give him the luxury of an answer. He just kept silent, trying to quiet his breathing despite how shaky he was. Trembling at the sight of his knife. If it wasn't the eyes themselves that made him worried, it was how carelessly the demon stabbed into his arm. How painful it felt. Surely he should have immobilized his arm, and yet it was working fine. It was just now there were eyes… so many eyes._

_“D̬́o you̢̚ s̲̎til̳̀l̦̏ ṭ̓hi̤͗n̘͠k͖̑ Jȁ̦c͇̋kie is gonnä́͟ c̪̈́ome̥͒ s̫̚a̘͝v̨̿e̢͂ y̏͟o̟̕ư̠r sorŗ͝y as̼̎s̹̕? D̜̆o yō͍u knơ͢w how ma͗͢ny õ̳t̠̉h͔͐er̳͗ peo̫̽p̤̿l̮̽e̩̅ he͢͠ ḫ̛as to ś͉av̭̎e͇̿?͎̃ Do̱͗n't̳̿ be s̺̎è̘l̪̚f̏͢i̠̐s̱̀h.̖͆”Anti pulled away for a moment. Chase tried to kick at his leg again, just to watch it pass through him._

_“He… he will find me…”_

_“Aṋ̑d t̳͒hen̦̈ W͖̃HAT,͈͑ C͕̈́ẖ̿a̪͛se?͕̀ H̩̆avȩ͒ Mâ͔r̺̉vin̠̅ ṫ̠ry t͎̑o c̞̋ur̬͂ȩ͌ yȏ̩u?̺̚” The glitch laughed at that, then smirked as he came closer. Chase desperately tried to pull away, but just backed himself up into the wall as the glitch’s face was only inches away from his, “Maybe leṫ̡ Henrî͚k t̼̆a̠̒ke͈̕ a̠̅ lo͔̅oḵ̀ ȧ͢t t͎͞hő̦s̺̓e..̮͑. p͓̃our̤̾ sõ̥me̙͘ a̰̎lcohơ̥l̢̾ in t̖̒here͢͡ a͘͟nd_ **_š̩t̢͖̂̃̔͟ì̡tc̺͕̑̓̈́͢h̙̼̊̏ ̑͢t͓͆h̗́eṁ̳͍̂̕ͅ ̭̘̪͛͛͠ū̠p̮͋_ ** _.̡̛̣̳̽͗ ̢̛̹̉̽ͅ”_

_He let out a giggle that festered into laughter, “Ḩ͘e̛̖'s̕͢ a̜͠lwá̘ȳ̮s̪̈ li͓͛k̠̿ed͐͟ to̖͛ e͚͠x͉͡p̥̿er̩͂im̛̯e͈̓nt! May̎ͅbe he wil͍͂l p̨̊ȯ͎p̨͡ on̤̒e̟̓ oṷ̿t̻̂ for ya̫̒! O̖͗r, m̬͆a̪͒y̌͢be ḣ͜e'd͕͛ s̕ͅtí͖t̡͘ch th̨͡e͈̓m̗͊ up while you're as̚͟l͎̏eep͎̌.̘͋ G̭̈́e͓̓t knocked ou̼̐t̞̍ and w̪̏á̢k̰͗ê͍ up t͚͠o b̜̒lood̻̂y stit̺͝c͈̾hê͈s͚͋ al̞̀l a̧͂lo̹̅n͙̄g your̟̎ arm̟̀s..̓ͅ. t̤͠ry t̗͌o̘̅ opḛ̋ṅ̯ yo̭̾ur lit͙̎tle ey͎̒è̻s̺̋ ã͢nd̩͐ fe̛̗el t̓͜hȅ̯ ȟ̹olé̦s i̯͝n ṯ̚hem ả̞s t͛͜h̦̉e͉̚y mov̦̈e.͕̀”_

_Chase tried not to listen, but he hated how possible it sounded. That sounded like something that could happen, but he still tried to block it out, “No, he'd know! He wouldn't…”_

_“A͕̓s i̜͝f he'͔̇d k̩̀n̨̒ow b̬̑ett̺͘ẹ̒r͔͗!̣͋ Yȏ̘u̜͑ cl̡̄os̥͋ë̺ y̥͆our̞̈ ê̢yes an̯̉d̞̚ the̹̍ȳ͓ look no d̞͌if̠͆fḙ̀r͓̈́eń͢t th̞͗an͕̍ a fé͓w͞ͅ f̠̒uc̮̎kȋ̝ng s͈̕c̦̽ǎ̙ȑ̩ṡ͖!͈͂ Maẏ͚be he'd̥͘ st̘̄itc̥̆h t͈͐hem ǘ̮p̢̍ o̘͂u̥̒t̫͞ ȏ͇f pú̠re̩͒ c̱͆uriousi͋͜ty~̗͛” The glitch grinned, toying with his knife._

_“No, he'd never do that. He wouldn't. He’s kind… they are all good people.”_

_“Anḍ̓ h̖͘o͉͋w we̘͊l̮̆l do͙͊ y͐ͅo̢̓u ǩ̮ǹ̦ow͢͡ t͚͡hem,̰͗ C̞͊hā͈s͈̚e?”The glitch tilted his head, his smile tilting further upward. That… made Chase snap._

_“Better than you! You're a fucking crazy, demonic_ _bitch_ _who likes to hurt us for your own fucking amusement. You haven't_ _lived_ _with them, and enjoyed living with them. They are kind hearted, and gentle. They would never treat me like that, and I would never treat one of them differently if they went through the same thing.” Chase’s breathing picked up pace as he realized all he had said. What would the demon do to him now..._

_Anti scowled at his answer for a moment, but then a smile slowly showed on his face, “Sö͔́ you'̱͗ve only̪̍ s͡ͅe͙̚en̓ͅ tḣ̳e fak̔͢e̡̛ s̬̿iď̼e͖̊..͔́. j̦͌ụ̀st ẅ̙a̘͑it u̧͗n̲̊t̟̄il͎͐ you s͔̊ee the͔͝iṛ̑ tr͈̂ų͡e͉͆ co̪͡l͌͟o̩͆ṟ̽s. M̪͆ar͠ͅv̘̈́ǐ̬n an͕̈́d̙̅ ḫ͡i̳̐s_ **_d̰̑a͕̓rk_ ** _magỉ̤c̮̚.̥̂.̪͆.̱̑ H͍͛eṅ̤r̹̂i͛͜k̇͢ an̝̍d h̨̏is_ **_e̡͗x͕̎pe̫͂r̩͗iṁ̙e̫̍n̩̊ts̝̅_ ** _. Î͕ meaǹ͜.̜̿.. as̜̚ s̎͢o͉͗o̗̅n̞̐ à͕s I hă͇ṇ͡d y̗̓ou bą̉c͈̅k̖̆ ȯ̪ver to Jacki̡͗e͆͢,̧͋ y͍̾ő̭u̧̒'̟̔l̠͑ľ̪ b̳͘ec̗͊ome one! If̣͑ you t̢̔hink͎̑ I͙͋'͍͗m̲͞ b̲̏ad͔͐.̭͡.̯͡. j̭͆u̦̽s̒͢t wai̮̓t̪̾ un̻͞t̠͐il͂͟ H̟͡enr̤̽ik p̼̂ul̤̆l̗͑š͢ où̗t hï͉s ň̨eed̝̈l̲͋es.̮͒”_

_“He_ _wouldn't._ _He would never and you fucking know it. He doesn't hate me like he hates you. None of them hate me like they fucking_ _despise_ _you-” Chase’s rant was cut short as Anti grabbed onto his throat and pinned him against the wall._

_“Shut̹̾ thë̼́ fuc͖̐k͖̐ u̙̿p̳̀ b̨̊e̜̔fo̙̓ṙ̻e͚͆ I͐͢ mą͌ke yoü͙.”_

_“What? Did_ _I_ _hit a nerve? You're a fucking hypocrite, and selfish_ _bitch!_ _”_

_“J̘̀us̞͌t yö́͜u̘̅ ẁ͎ai̮͊t ȕ̬n̫̏ṯ̂i̪̚l͉̅ the̯͌y turn o̝͌n̲͑ yo̖͡u... the d̺͘ã̧y͔͐ tȟ͙ey fuc̗̾k͉̒i̖͑ng͎̐ t̺́u̻͒rn on̺̍ y̝̔o̮͂ŭ̧ a̱̅ņ̆d̹̎ you'̲̓l̖͡l come running̈ͅ b̻͗a̛͍c̮̄k̡͐ to me.̛̻ I'm n̙̋o̘̽t̾͟ t̡̾he o̖̍n̹͊ḙ̀ who'͇͂s a hy̪̆p͇̃ỏ̤c̢̛rite.̝̉”_

_For a moment the demon's tone sounded genuine. But Chase shook it off. No, he was acting. He's trying to get into my fucking head, “Yeah?! I'll come running back to you because of how fucking much you've hurt me?!”_

_Anti used his other hand to reach up and cut another scar underneath his left eye with his claws, “Y̠͒ou on͈̒ly̫͡ se͖̒e th̲͂è̠ n̡̉e͇͌ǵ̤atî̤v͙͋es,̣͝ C̙̄ȟ̖a̡͊sé̝. The̘͠re͈͋'s͕̃ m̬̽o͔̍r̙̀e to̪̊ thi̒ͅs̛̤ th̻͆ä̡n ho͖͂w͉̔ it_ _look̠̉s͖͊_ _.”_

_“You're fucking insane.” Chase winced as the scar swelled up on his cheek, looking back up at Anti, with yet another eye added to the collection._

_He let out a lower pitched laugh, one that reverberated through the empty room, “And w̜͠ho̞͌ do you t̲̅h̘̿in͓͑k m̻̍a͔̚de̺̚ m̝̿e th͕͊is ẉ͘ay?”_

  
  
  


“Chase?”

Chase snapped out of his trance and looked at the doctor with wide eyes. He stood frozen, staring like a deer in headlights.

“Are you okay?”

Chase didn't say anything, and as Henrik tried to approach him he backed away. Henrik tried again and Chase looked like he was ready to bolt.

“Chase, vhat is wrong? Please let me help you. Let me clean up zhe wound, we will see it it needs stitches-”

Chase looked like he was about to cry. He _felt_ like he was ready to cry. Please not stitches, _please._

Chase immediately turned and ran upstairs the moment Henrik tried to move towards him one more time. He nearly tripped at the stairs, but kept running, running down the hall. He didn't stop until he reached his room and slammed the door behind him, locking it forcefully before slowly sliding down against the door.

Chase curled up there and began to tremble at the thought. That he'd wake up with stitches, that Henrik would try to ‘help’ him before he could say no. That he'd get hurt and passed out… and Marvin wasn't around to help. That maybe, Henrik would do that. He didn't know the doctor well enough, what if he _did_ want to experiment on him too? He's seen viles in his office before.

He was still scared. Terrified. And he was stupid to think this was getting any better.

  
  
  


“Marvin, vhy is Chase so afraid of me..?”

Marvin looked up at him from putting away groceries. His hands moved over another package, and his eyes travelled away from Henrik. _What did Chase do?_

“He ran away from me vhen I tried to help him… am I doing something vrong?”

“No… no Henrik you're not doing anything wrong.” Marvin assured, “He’s just scared. He needs time to adjust, okay? Just give him some... space.”

Henrik’s eyes drifted away from him. He crossed his arms before slowly nodding, “Okay.”

Marvin let out a relieved sigh, turning to put up more groceries. He slid the crackers onto the shelf before grabbing some cookies. Though Henrik kept an eye on him suspiciously before he remembered the nights before.

“Are you and Chase together?”

Marvin fumbled with the cookies for a moment before dropping them with a yelp, “Fuck! Shit…” He muttered, quickly picking the package back up. He took his time opening them and checking to see if any were broken, which a few were but it wasn't a problem. Not as big of a problem Marvin made it out to be to avoid Henrik’s question as a blush spread across his face at the assumption. The doctor always was very blunt, a blessing and a curse.

“... I'm assuming zhat's a no.”

Marvin’s face turned red as he slipped them away in the pantry, “No! No, of course not. No we're just friends, Henrik… why… what made you think we were together??”

“What was zhe scream for?”

If his face wasn't already red enough, now it was an even darker red as he stared at Henrik, “What did _you_ think it was?!” 

“What was it really, Marvin?”

“Listen, he just scared me a bit. He was having a _nightmare_ , and scared the _fuck_ out of me when he jumped up.” It wasn't a complete lie… he did get scared when Chase woke up. He was just a little more afraid of his _scars_ at the time than Chase jumping up, “... it was _not_ that. Why… why would you think that? It's… we…” Marvin was at a loss for words and ended with a huff, pressing his cold hands against his cheek to try and cool off. When Marvin expected covering for Chase, this was _not_ what he expected.

“You two are close, I do not judge.” Henrik mumbled, pouring himself a new cup of coffee, "Besides, catching you both in zhe same bedroom after zhat... I jumped to conclusions, I apologize."

“Yeah, well… n-no, we are not _that_ close. Jesus Henrik, you're going to give me a fucking heart attack…”

Henrik let out a quiet chuckle as he took a sip of his warm coffee. He didn't push the conversation further, but Marvin could tell he was thinking. Things weren't piecing together fully, it didn't take much to tell something was off. Something just wasn't lining up, and the doctor wanted to know why that was. Always wanted to know what happened, what exactly was wrong, so he could help the best he could. It was endearing, but for Chase’s predicament? Henrik was _going_ to find out, it was only a matter of time.

Marvin was worried how long he could keep a secret from him, and could tell Chase wasn't planning on speaking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to be informed of Chapter updates, head to my Instagram (same @) and click on the link! I have a discord that I inform every time I make a new chapter, just make sure to be under the role Bookworms!

**Author's Note:**

> Eyyy first fanfic is a body horror Halloween prompt! Enjoy y'all :>


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